Since When Can He Do That?
by Mortal Guardian
Summary: Ron was unavailable to aid Kim on a mission and she is captured. Now Ron must face several challenges to find Kim and rescue her.
1. Captured

Chapter 1 – Captured

* * *

A quick trial followed the arrest of Doctor Drakken after his failed "Little Diablo" scheme. The law found him guilty and sentenced him to life in a federal prison. He later heard that Shego was also found guilty and sentenced to incarceration in a special facility designed to contain her glow powers. Her brothers helped with the design since they knew the secrets of the Go-Team Glow. Now December, it has been seven months since his arrest. 

During his first four months of prison Drakken had been tasked with indoor and outdoor cleaning duty. Then he was reassigned to laundry. This task had become much less pleasant than cleaning. At least with cleaning duty there was more mobility plus a change of scenery. Confinement to the laundry room meant having to tolerate humidity and clothes that reeked of inmate funk. Drakken shared the task of laundering and pressing the guards' uniforms with two other inmates. Regardless of his tasks, he kept to himself, caring little about associating with his fellow inmates.

Another day of laundry was about to end. Evening chow would begin in forty five minutes. The laundry crew will be escorted back to their cells to clean up before being escorted to the mess hall. While the inmates tidy up the guards will rotate with the night shift. The laundry crew was split into two groups – one finished the last of the day's loads while the other group cleaned the room. Drakken finished pressing and folding a pair of slacks before helping to shut down the dry cleaning and pressing machines.

The door to the laundry room opened. Three uniformed guards entered to meet the two already there monitoring the inmates. When the bustle of work seemed to stop, one of the guards spoke up. "Alright, it's time! Let's go!"

The crew, minus Drakken, formed a line. One of the two guards that had been on watch noticed Drakken continued sorting laundry. "Come on, Lipsky," he ordered. "Some of us want to go home sometime tonight!"

Drakken regarded the sentry with a dirty look in response to the surname The felon then adjusted his features to politely respond with, "Just a few more minutes."

Two guards decided to stay behind until Drakken was finished. The other three escorted the eleven other inmates from the room. After the door closed, Drakken set down a folded set of uniforms. One of the guards went to the door to ensure the others were gone. He turned around to Drakken and said, "Okay, boss. It's clear."

"Finally," Drakken sighed. He picked up a towel to dry himself of perspiration.

Removing his prison uniform, the villain quickly put on a guard uniform his size, including gloves and shoes. Then one of his two guard-impersonating henchmen pulled out a stolen badge which Drakken pinned on. The henchman also pulled out some rubbery item having some semblance of a face. "Here you go, boss."

Everyone knew Drakken, the blue-skinned evil genius. This was a mask fashioned with his features minus the blue pigment – the face of Drew Lipsky, a man many have forgotten exists. Right now he was just another guard. The doctor slipped on the mask and tucked the throat and neck sections beneath the collar of his shirt. After adjusting it until it felt in place, he asked how he looked.

"No one will know you're Drakken, boss," one of the henchmen assured him.

"Really?" Drakken hoped. "Nothing about the mask looks out of place?"

"Really, boss," he confirmed. The second concurred.

"Alright then, let's go," the 'new guard' ordered. He left the laundry room with his 'fellow officers' following.

Once they were beyond the prison walls and out into the snowy evening, Drakken breathed in the sweet, cold air of freedom. Led by his henchmen to a silver sedan, he slipped into the back seat while one of the henchmen sat in the driver's seat to start the car; the other cleared the vehicle of snow.

The car was two miles away from the prison; all three inside were only slightly startled when the prisoner escape alert blared and the dogs began barking. They glanced back to see floodlights sweeping the prison grounds and then proceeded to ignore the commotion.

"Give me a status report," ordered Drakken.

The henchman in the passenger seat turned to face him. "The doomsday devices are ready and the lair is almost finished."

"Excellent. Hand me a phone." After receiving one, Drakken dialed a number. "I'm free. Get Shego out and bring her to the Caribbean lair." Ending the call, he returned the phone.

* * *

The front door of the Possible residence opened. In his stationary chair sat James Possible reading his daily newspaper. He folded it back to see who was coming in. Removing her winter coat was his red-haired daughter, Kim Possible. He greeted his "Kimmie-cub" who had just come home from a visit with her best friend, Ron Stoppable, who has been ill. 

"Hey, Dad," the teen hero pleasantly responded as she put away her coat and boots in the closet.

From the dining room of the house, her mom called everyone. "Dinner's ready."

Kim and her dad went in together, followed by her twin brothers, Jim and Tim, who raced down from upstairs. Once seated around the table everyone collected their portions and began to eat. Dialogue was started by Mrs. Possible.

"So how is Ron feeling?" she asked Kim.

"He's doing much better," her daughter replied cutting into her roast. "His flu has passed and he should be recuperated in a day."

Her mom was glad to hear. "That's good."

Four beeps sounded off from Kim's pocket. Everyone stopped eating and looked at her as she pulled out her hand-held Kimmunicator. "What's the sitch, Wade? We're kinda in the middle of dinner here."

"Sorry about the interruption." His apology was sincere. "I wanted to update you on something."

"Oh? What's up?"

"Drakken's escaped from prison."

"What about Shego?"

"There's been no word yet, but I'll keep you posted."

"Please and thank you." Kim signed off.

* * *

Approaching 0545 GMT, a door opened to a chamber. In walked a raven-haired woman wearing a distinctive black and green jumpsuit. Looking around she located her boss, Doctor Drakken, dressed in his familiar blue lab coat. He was inspecting two familiar machines. 

Hearing the door he looked away from his research and greeted her. "Ah Shego, you're just in time."

His sidekick looked curious about the two doomsday machines. "You've rebuilt them?" Shego referred to both the sonic annihilator and the mega-weather generator.

"Indeed I have, my dear," he answered proudly. Drakken produced a disk. "I managed to find the schematics of both on this a year ago. I kept it handy in case the devices would ever be of use again." The mega-weather generator began to hum. He grinned smugly. "And one of them is about to be."

Shego approached him after Drakken walked over to a terminal and sat down. She watched as he typed in a set of commands followed by a set of coordinates. Her brow wrinkled in bewilderment. "Uh, Doc, you do realize that's right over us?"

"Of course it is." He turned to her in his seat, resting his left arm on the console. "Worry not, Shego. You know the lair is capable of withstanding Category-Four hurricanes."

"So what's the point?"

Outside there was a sudden change in the atmosphere, followed by a series of lightning flashes and thunderclaps.

Drakken was unshaken. "By now Kim Possible likely knows we're no longer in prison. Her young computer friend will be alerted to this weather abnormality." Rain began pouring heavily. "And, if they're both really clever, they'll figure out what I'm using and she'll come to stop us and fail trying."

That was news. "So this is all just to lure Kim and her friend?"

"And capture them, which is only Phase One," her boss added. He stood and proceeded towards a door. "Now go get some sleep. We should have a couple of hours before she gets here."

* * *

Kim awoke to the ringing of her Kimmunicator. Yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she reached for the hand-held device and answered. 

Wade sat there in his pajamas. "Sorry to wake you, Kim. First of all, Shego's been broken out. The second is there's some activity."

"Drakken?" she guessed.

"Right," replied Wade. "A very nasty storm is currently raining down on the Caribbean."

"Go on."

"The suspicious part is this: no serious storms like this were expected there for several days. This is definitely _not_ natural; it just appeared right out of the blue. Drakken is taking the credit for creating it." Wade clicked his mouse to bring up a video transmission from Drakken that briefly replaced him.

The villain's features were bold. "This is merely to let you know that I'm back and ready for you, Kim Possible." The feed ended.

Wade came back onscreen. "That's all there was."

"But the only way he could do something like that is…" Kim paused. She did not want to believe Drakken had been able to rebuild one of Ron's doomsday machines.

"With a mega-weather generator?" Even Wade knew that had to be so.

"How intense is the storm?"

Wade scanned some readings. "It's bad, but hasn't reached tropical storm levels."

Kim leapt out of bed and hurried to her closet. "I'll be airborne in less than half an hour." Kim prepared to sign off.

"You want me to contact Ron?"

Kim considered that, but decided against it. "I'll handle this. I would rather let him rest until he's better." She signed off.

Kim dressed in her modified battle suit and prepped her gear. She hurried to her parents' room to let them know that she had to leave and would need to get to the space center. After she left, her father contacted security at the facility to clear Kim for access.

Kim slipped into her car and hurried to the space center. Once she cleared security, Kim drove over to a hangar. The bay doors were already open. Inside was the jet Ron had purchased for her when he had his millions. Kim decided on taking the jet instead of chancing a delay of a called-in favor. Over time the aircraft had been customized to feed off of her father's J200 rocket fuel and to operate in stealth mode. She boarded the aircraft, found the coordinates for Drakken's lair already entered by Wade, and prepared for launch. The robotic autopilot was presently disengaged and stored, but not discarded. Kim would be flying this herself.

* * *

At 0850 GMT, flying 1.3 mach, the jet closed in on the island, flying invisible and below radar. Drakken had long since ended the storm. 

After making a vertical landing in a clear spot Kim donned her backpack and disembarked, leaving her aircraft invisible. She scanned the area with night vision, seeing that the storm had left quite a mess. She removed her goggles and placed them in her backpack before pulling out her Kimmunicator. "I'm on the island, Wade," she reported. "Drakken's lair is in sight."

The image on the Kimmunicator switched from Wade to a diagram. "The mega-weather generator is in this location," his voice disclosed. A blinking cursor indicated a specific tower. "You're best entrance to the lair is through a window in this tower which is used for storage." The cursor switched to a new location. "Use caution because there's no intrusion detection."

That only meant one thing. "Expect a trap. Got it." Kim signed off. Activating the suit's stealth mode, an invisible girl hurried toward the lair.

Making her way through the drenched forest, dodging snares and other traps, she soon arrived at the lair's outer wall. Her battle suit's enhancements made for an easy breach, allowing her to leap over the wall without rocket boots. Locating the tower Wade indicated Kim found the window. There was light inside. The roof of the tower was less than four meters from the arch of the window which was too high to leap for.

"_Time to be sneaky,"_ Kim realized knowing her jetpack and rocket boots would be too noisy. Removing her hairdryer-turned-grappling gun from her utility belt's holster, she aimed above the window and fired.

The hook and cable wrapped around a stone gargoyle that sat on a ledge above the window. Ensuring the cable was durable enough and the gargoyle would not fall from the ledge, Kim retracted the cable, raising herself from the ground until she reached the window. She detached the cable from her hairdryer knowing there was a spare in her backpack. Remembering what Wade told her about no intrusion detection she still carefully opened the window. Finding no sign of trouble yet, she deactivated her invisibility.

The place was a storeroom just as Wade said. There were sealed wooden crates and pallets stacked with boxes of varying sizes. There was a stack close enough and high enough allowing her to leap down to the floor.

Once she reached the floor, something clacked from above. Kim looked to discover that her entrance had sealed. She became aware of a soft hissing from around her. Feeling unusually awkward she shook her head, and realized the room was filling up with knockout gas. She quickly removed her backpack and pulled out a respirator which she secured over her nose and mouth and began breathing better. Before she had a chance to replace her backpack, something descended from above. Kim looked up to see mist dispensing from several vents in the walls. The mist grew increasingly thick, yet Kim was able to make out the crates and boxes around her. She tossed her backpack aside then stood firm, keeping vigilant knowing not what to be ready for.

Her attention was drawn above her again after hearing another clack. There was a dark rectangular hole in the ceiling. Two more appeared as panels slid open; the positions of each formed a triangular pattern. From each one dropped a single individual which Kim could scarcely identify. One stood off to her right, the second in front of her, and the third on her seven. The panels closed.

Kim assumed a defensive stance and carefully looked at each new arrival. The increasing mist made identifying them difficult considering the distance each stood away from her. The two before her looked petite and feminine. Both had... long... blonde hair. When, to her dismay, eyes from both glowed red, Kim needed no more characteristics to know what she stood against.

_"Bebes!"_

"It's so nice to see you again, Kim Possible." Drakken sounded pompous as ever. The speakers relaying his voice were somewhere to her left. "Where's your sidekick? Have you decided to go solo, or is he outside, lost in the dark somewhere?"

"Not that you care, but he's sick."

"Eh, one less to worry about then." He still perceived Ron as insignificant.

Kim did not know if Drakken could see her, but she carefully reached for her Kimmunicator, hoping the mist was thick enough to conceal her action. She remembered defeating the Bebes once with it using a hypersonic emission and hoped they were not immune like the second trio.

_Zing!_

To the teen hero's sudden disbelief the Kimmunicator was quickly snatched from her hand.

"Not this time, Miss Possible." He suspected she would try that again. "Bebe Number 2, destroy it."

Kim heard a metallic crunch followed by scrap hitting the floor to her right. She remembered now that they were designed to move at faster-than-normal speed.

"Impressed?" she heard Drakken ask. "I rebuilt them, leaving out their desire for perfection; kept their enhanced speed, designed a more durable body armor so they won't be so easily destroyed and programmed them with obedience to me." His voice changed to commanding. "Bebes... apprehend Kim Possible."

Bebe1: "Affirmative"

Bebe2: "Doctor"

Bebe3: "Drakken."

Kim heard their metallic footsteps. They were actually approaching her without speed. She supposed they believed they had the advantage with the room in a fog. Her suit still had its features. Kim leapt over them and onto one of the crates. She realized her limited vision would allow her virtually no chance of fighting the androids and keeping them in sight all at once. If they are looking, they could probably see her right now. Her best option of keeping out of sight was to go back to being invisible, so she powered on the stealth mode again and disappeared, then quickly leapt from the crate.

Despite the place where Kim landed the Bebes shifted and repositioned themselves.

From his observation room Drakken watched the spectacle. The current view screen enabled everyone there to see Kim and where she stood on the crate. But then they watched her vanish. This maneuver earned a look of mild awe from him, and even Shego.

Drakken looked at one of his men sitting at a console. "Change the view! Don't lose sight of her."

The screen changed. Infrared readings showed that Kim was now on the floor. A second screen came up so that Drakken could also keep the Bebes in sight. Between both screens Drakken could tell the androids stood around his nemesis. _"They see her,"_ he noted with pleasure, aware that they can see via infrared.

Kim quickly straightened up and scanned her surroundings. The Bebes were around her, not moving - one to her right, the second slightly off to the left, and the third out of view. Trying to see through the fog she considered an uneasy realization - they were looking right at her. _"Great,"_ she realized. _"Of this entire suit's features it doesn't shield my body heat signature."_ She disabled the stealth mode knowing it was useless.

Whatever they were about to attempt, judging from their stance they would move in synch. The moment they revved up, Kim knew. Her next move would take split second timing, because that would be all she had. They charged and her bubble shield quickly went up, repelling them and sending them to the floor on their backs. Kim disabled her shield and powered up her rocket boots, leaping into the air and onto a tall stack of crates. After landing she saw them all on their feet again.

The Bebes stood motionless for a few moments. Internally they transmitted between each other calculations. They determined the strength of the shield and how much more power they would need to overcome it. With their computations complete, they were ready. After revving up they charged and demolished the crate, forcing Kim to leap to another. They followed and smashed that. The maneuver repeated a few more times before Kim found herself forced back to the floor and surrounded again.

Once again they revved up and charged. They instantly stopped as Kim's shield went up again, standing just short of three decimeters from it. Each of them placed their right hand on the shield and generated a strong electrical jolt. To her surprise Kim's shield dissolved. Before she knew it both of her arms were restrained by two Bebes.

"Well done, Bebes" Drakken commended. "And nice try on your part, Kim Possible." He mocked applause. "I'm _very _impressed with your battle suit's features. A pity they were not enough.

"Bebes, if you would." All three Bebes delivered a shock to their master's nemesis, rendering her unconscious. "Now bring her to me." Her backpack abandoned, they carried her to a private room and left, passing Drakken and Shego on their way out.

Drakken turned to his subordinate, then handed her a set of dark blue coveralls. "Inspect her battle suit and search her. Make sure there are no tracking devices then fit her into these, but save the battle suit. I'll not want her wearing that while she's my prisoner."

Shego went in. After several minutes, she returned with Kim's battle suit and respirator in hand. "She's clean. No bugs."

He went over to an intercom with a monitor. One of his uniformed men appeared onscreen. "Set the countdown for twenty minutes." The man complied, setting and commencing the countdown. Drakken switched the intercom transmitter so that his voice was heard throughout the lair. "Attention, this is Doctor Drakken! It's time to relocate. Proceed to and board the plane." He ended his transmission.

Shego was out of the loop on this one. "Countdown? Relocation? What's going on, Doc?"

He looked at her with indifference. "I have no further need for this lair or anything in it. The sonic annihilator will level the place." A smile appeared. "As for the relocation, it's to a new lair I know you'll love." He thumbed towards Kim's room. "Bring her with us," he added then left.

Shego stood speechless for a moment. The last time she saw this confidence in him he almost won. And considering they again captured and incapacitated Kim Possible – additionally disarming her – without her sidekick to foul things up, victory could be theirs this time… whatever Drakken's scheme is. Shego disposed of the respirator, draped the battle suit around the back of her neck, and then went to collect Kim before hurrying after her boss.

* * *

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	2. Telling the World

Chapter 2 – Telling the World

* * *

Connectivity failed again. For the umpteenth time Wade attempted unsuccessfully to make contact with Kim. He finally concluded that her Kimmunicator must have been destroyed. There was no way it would be malfunctioning. He had recently replaced the battery; this new cell would endure for a couple of years. A thorough diagnostic check was conducted and the few minor bugs were corrected. With the Kimmunicator broken, Wade could not track Kim let alone contact her. He hoped nothing bad has happened. 

Wade was not going to sit there waiting on the chance she would contact him to say "Mission accomplished." He had to contact Ron and send him in spite of what Kim said. Should she call him with good news while Ron is en route, Wade would notify Ron and have him return.

As he was about to contact Ron, an audio signal emitted from his computer's speakers. Wade looked at his monitor. There were three red circles – inner, middle, and outer – blinking off and on in sequence with the audio signal over the direct location of Drakken's lair, meaning seismic activity. The circles blinked for only a few seconds before disappearing, indicating the incident was over.

He analyzed the measurements and found them to be minor. After hacking into a topographical satellite, he zoomed in and scanned the region. It appeared that the tremors were only enough to collapse Drakken's lair as structures just a few kilometers away were unscathed; even Kim's jet was safe. Wade knew no natural tremor would be that precise. He quickly suspected the possibility that Drakken had also rebuilt Ron's sonic annihilator. He suddenly hoped Kim was not in the lair when it fell; Drakken would definitely not be.

He accessed the jet to activate the autopilot, programming it to fly the aircraft back stateside so Ron could rendezvous with it. He also called in a favor to pick Ron up. Then he signaled Ron's communicator with rapid beeps to indicate a critical emergency. The one to answer was Rufus, Ron's pink naked mole rat.

"Rufus, I need you to wake Ron. We have an emergency."

Rufus' slipped away from the device. Wade could hear the mole rat's chatter along with Ron mumbling about trying to sleep. He heard more insistent chatter from Rufus until at last Ron took the handheld and answered.

"Ron, are you feeling better?"

The blond youth was awake enough, but he still looked sleepy rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

"Kim went on a mission a while ago. She went alone because she wanted to be sure you felt better. But something's happened and I'm hoping you're well enough to go on a mission."

_Something happened to Kim?_ Ron wondered. "What's happened?"

Wade told him everything. He recounted Drakken and Shego's escape from prison, suspicion that Drakken rebuilt the mega-weather generator after receiving data of the suspicious storm over Drakken's lair, then Kim flying her jet to investigate. "I told her which tower she could get inside. That was the last verbal communication with her. After that I monitored her movements towards the lair where she did get to since the Kimmunicator has a built-in tracking device. A few minutes after that, the signal disappeared. Something had to have broken the Kimmunicator. There was no way it was faulty."

"But what about Kim's battle suit? Doesn't that have a tracking device?"

Wade sighed. "I'm afraid not. Of all its features I never thought to install one. With Kim I never thought I would have to."

Wade watched as Ron got up from his bed. "Do you have a ride waiting for me?" Ron asked.

"It will be hovering above Bueno Nacho by the time you get there. I've routed the jet to fly back so you'll be dropped off in Florida where you'll find it. I have the autopilot active to return you to the lair.

"There's something else you need to know," he added while Ron changed and listened. "I think Drakken's also rebuilt the sonic annihilator. I think he used it on his lair because it's now in ruins."

* * *

Following his pick up from Bueno Nacho, his and Kim's regular hangout restaurant, Ron was flown to Florida where he boarded the jet and from there was transported to where Kim landed. Guided by Wade, Ron moved through the forest towards the remains of the lair. Wade routed him along the same path he monitored Kim taking. "Kim already set off the traps when she went through, so you'll be in no danger." 

Rubble. After he arrived and began his search with night-vision, all Ron could see was rubble. He stumbled around where he could; nothing but the remains of the lair. He actually tried calling out to Kim hoping she might respond. No reply. Rufus scurried about in several places, sniffing for traces of her. Both Ron and Rufus came up with nothing. Ron hoped to Heaven that Kim was okay and not buried somewhere beneath the ruins; that she was alive, even if that meant as Drakken's prisoner. He would rather know that than believe otherwise.

He contacted Wade after Rufus perched himself on Ron's shoulder, looking upset. "I can't find anything, Wade," he reported. "Zilch from Rufus, too."

The troubled teen heard a low beep from his handheld that sounded from Wade's end. He watched as Wade checked it out. "Ron I'm getting an incoming transmission… from Drakken."

The screen split, placing Wade's image to the right and Drakken's to the left. The nemesis of Team Possible noted Ron's location. "That scenery looks familiar. You actually went looking for your friend? I heard you were sick."

"Even if I were terminally ill, I'd go looking for KP!" Ron snapped.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. She's here with us." Drakken's side switched from his image to briefly display Kim, in an outfit that was not her battle suit, lying someplace. Drakken reappeared.

Ron gritted his teeth. "If you've done anything to her-"

Drakken held up his right hand to silence Ron. "Relax, she's unharmed. And she'll stay that way as long as my newest scheme goes unhindered."

"Where are you taking her?" Ron demanded.

"You along with the world will know my intentions once I'm settled in at my new lair." Drakken motioned as if he were about to end the transmission, but paused. "And if you ever take that tone with me again, you buffoon," he added aggressively, "you'll never see her again."

Ron took a breath after Drakken was gone. "Any suggestions, Wade?"

"Come back to Middleton. Until we know where he's going, I don't know what else to do."

Ron sighed then switched off before returning to the jet. He and Wade knew that they would have to tell the Possibles what's happened. As for school, the news would be limited to only administrators and Ron's and Kim's closest friends.

* * *

Aboard the aircraft carrying Drakken and Shego, the small band of henchmen with them from the former lair, the Bebes, and a still unconscious Kim Possible, a door slid open allowing Doctor Drakken to enter the cabin where he found Shego seated, reading a magazine. He had just come from sending his transmission to the remaining two-thirds of Team Possible. He seated himself nearby to relax, plugging in some earphones to listen to some music. After leaning his seat back he closed his eyes. 

A few peaceful minutes elapse. From the overhead speakers, Shego hears, "Iceland is in sight and we have been cleared for landing in Reykjavik."

The instant she heard Iceland, dumbstruck, Shego looked up from her magazine. She looked over at Drakken who remained unmoved, continuing to listen to music with his eyes closed. Setting down the magazine she stood and went up to the cockpit. There it was on the horizon. She gazed at it for a moment without a word before returning to find Drakken sitting forward, eyes open and no longer listening to music. Instead he was smiling at her.

"You like?" asked Drakken.

"It's… a surprise, I'll admit."

"Oh, this is nothing, Shego. Wait until you see the lair. And I would advise that you dress warm."

After the plane landed around 1420 GMT, everyone disembarked wearing winter clothing. Although the airport tarmac was clear, the surrounding region was covered with snow.

One of the larger henchmen carried a blanketed, still unconscious Kim in his arms onto a waiting bus. Before boarding himself, Drakken turned to the Bebes. "You three will hurry on to the lair ahead of us." They complied and rushed off like a bolt before Drakken stepped aboard the bus.

The bus was driven to a distant location outside of Reykjavik, deep within a wooded area. The driver stopped to let all passengers off then drove away to dispose of the vehicle, while everyone trekked through the snow into the woods, eventually coming to a cave entrance from which they could hear the sound of an engine. They walked into the cave which had lights on about ten meters in. They continued forward for another forty meters, the engine getting louder, but not intolerable. Ahead of them was a large tram which Shego looked at for a moment.

"Climb aboard, Shego," he politely beckoned. She did, following the others before Drakken.

The tram carried its passengers forward and soon descended along winding tracks, a few kilometers deep beneath the surface. The engineer decreased its speed gradually before it entered a colossal, subterranean cavern. The engineer then brought the tram to a stop then all on board detrained. The sounds of mechanized humming indicated ventilation which made the air quality temperate and the humidity minimal. Energy, judging from the ventilation and the abundant lighting, was clearly being "borrowed" from power plants on the surface.

Looking about her, Shego gazed at something more amazing than the cavern itself. Even Drakken was proud of what he saw – a very large, superbly designed lair constructed from the rock of the cavern. The lair stood three stories tall and measured roughly 100 meters across.

"Doc, what on Earth?"

"Don't you mean under the Earth, Shego?" She huffed and gave him an annoyed look. He disregarded it and continued. "I'm always on the lookout for locations for lairs, Shego." He began walking towards the building, everyone following. "More than a year ago, I read a series of books about a brilliant underground civilization. I was inspired by the idea of a subterranean city and decided if I ever found a good location for a lair I would like to build one underground until the world was mine. How fortunate such a place was found in Iceland.

"Once the location was scouted, I secretly drew up plans for the lair to be constructed from the rock. That's why we were so short on henchmen even before I planned the Diablo operation; the rest were here constructing the lair.

"I hope you appreciate this, Shego," he further added once they reached the door, which was actually crafted from wood. "You once said you wanted Iceland. Once the world is mine, you can have any share of the world you want as a thank you for your aid and rule that share from here."

It was a decent offer. "I'll consider it, Doc, once I've seen the whole thing, inside and out."

The door was opened and all entered the foyer of the lair. Drakken turned to his henchmen. "Report to your posts," he ordered. To the one holding Kim, "Take her to a cell and report to your post." Each complied and departed. "Come with me, Shego."

He led her through a few hallways of finely carved stone until they came to a door. Drakken opened the door; the motion powered on lights, exposing a series of computers and consoles. He and Shego sauntered through the large room, occasionally glancing at some of the displays of data until Drakken stopped to study two different readouts - one which Shego identified as the mega-weather generator and the other the sonic annihilator.

She wondered to herself why he would build two more? "Come on, Doc, don't you have anything new?" she then asked aloud.

"Why bother, Shego? I have to admit that Kim Possible's sidekick actually developed impressive weapons. And trust me. These are nothing like the ones from the previous lair. These two meet the levels of the weapons on his disk, so they're more powerful than their predecessors." Drakken removed the disk from his left coat pocket. "Those were nothing. These are the real deal; linked to satellite dishes on the surface and ready to transmit disasters wherever I direct." Drakken filed the disk before walking around to review other readings. "Additionally, I don't have to wrack my brain trying to conceive new weapons or delay my present scheme by stealing ones I can't be sure work."

* * *

After she woke and recollected what happened, Kim looked around finding herself in an unfamiliar space. She even realized she was no longer wearing her battle suit. Naturally she tried the door, but it did not budge. For once she admitted she was in a fix. Not knowing where she was, how she would get herself out, and without a Kimmunicator to contact help she returned to lie on the cot she originally found herself and began to think; what is Drakken planning; does Wade know where she is; can she be rescued? She also thought about Ron. Undoubtedly Wade did contact Ron. Together could they find her and save her? Despite Ron's antics, he has his moments; this would have to be one of those moments. No matter what, Kim put her faith in her boyfriend. Whether it is "dumb skill," or that he has an angel on his shoulders, or that he just has the strangest stroke of luck on Earth, Ron would save her. 

A panel by the door slid open, exposing a monitor and a mini-cam and mike. Drakken appeared on the monitor, smiling that arrogant smile. "Did you enjoy your nap, Kim Possible? I do hope your quarters are to your satisfaction," he taunted.

Kim sat up and turned to face the monitor. "Stuff it, Drakken," she snapped. "Whatever you have in mind, it won't work! Wherever we are, you'll be found… and I'll be rescued!"

He expected this defiance from her. "And I suppose you think your sidekick will be the one to save you?"

"I don't think… I believe."

"After numerous attempts to apprehend you, I finally have. What makes you so sure he'll have any success?"

"Because he's Ron."

Drakken let out a doubtful puff, but then looked lost in thought for a moment. "I suppose I'll let him try. I'll extend a challenge to him…" Shrugging a shoulder, he added in a low tone, "…although I expect it to be a waste of time." He concluded more audible with, "I'll postpone demanding control of the world a bit longer and let everyone see. I'll show them I've captured you and they'll watch your only chance for a rescue fail." He then switched off.

"_Ron, please find me,"_ Kim quietly prayed before returning to her bed.

* * *

After Ron returned that morning, the Possibles learned from both him and Wade what had become of Kim; the news stunned them, of course. Upon learning who was behind it, James Possible cursed Drew Lipsky. 

Before Ron left for school, Drs. P urged that this news be restricted. They would call the school to let administrators, such as Steve Barkin, know the truth about Kim's absence. They were okay about Ron telling close friends like Monique and Felix.

Much like her family, Mr. Barkin, Monique and Felix were very much disturbed by what happened to Kim. While administrators only knew her situation as a prisoner, Ron told Monique and Felix the details. Now they had only to wait for the details of Drakken's demands.

Ron and his friends reported to their respective classes. On Ron's way into class, Wade told him he would call the instant he was alerted to anything involving Drakken. The bell signaled the start of first period. Ron sat at his desk thinking of Kim while the morning announcements were made. Classrooms were equipped with monitors so students and faculty could watch.

Ron's Kimmunicator sounded as the announcements turned to the topic of the upcoming holiday break. The on-screen student was disrupted by the off-screen sound of a door being thrown open. Everyone watching heard the sound of rapid footsteps and saw a student appear. He looked anxious.

"Kim Possible's been taken hostage!" the student, a member of the school newspaper staff, cried. He had been watching morning news on World News Network and heard this. He immediately rushed from the media classroom to relay this over the announcements.

Several students around the classroom turned to Ron stunned. He pulled out his Kimmunicator to answer Wade's call. "Ron, Drakken's making his declaration through the news."

Ron could hear an anchorwoman from Wade's end. Rufus peeked out from his pocket space in Ron's pants to listen. Both of them looked up, suddenly hearing the same voice from the announcements screen in the classroom. The student who barged in had connected a cable from a television in the broadcasting room to the camera. "Now the whole school knows," Ron told Wade. "We're all watching WNN right now."

"If you're just now joining us, again world famous teen hero Kim Possible of Middleton, Colorado, has been taken hostage by Team Possible nemesis, Dr. Drakken," stated the anchorwoman. "He is standing by at this moment from an undisclosed location to make a live statement." The onscreen image split between her and Drakken. "Doctor, why have you done this?"

He was now presented in full view. "I am not here to answer questions," he retorted. "I'm making a statement, nothing more." His manner relaxed. "Many of you out there know what I'm all about. But if you're thinking this broadcast is about demands for world domination, I've decided to postpone that for a short time. This is a different announcement.

"As you have just been told, I have in my custody my teen nemesis, Kim Possible." His image blinked away to display Kim in a small room. She too was watching Drakken. "She very recently became my hostage during an attempt to foil my latest scheme," he continued after he returned to the screen. "Little did she know that I had planned to capture her first. Not very long ago, Miss Possible dared to tell me I can still be stopped. While she herself is currently unable to escape, she actually believes her sidekick-boyfriend can rescue her."

Ron heard chuckles and pshaws. A number of his classmates also gave him looks ranging from mocking to skeptical.

"Mr. Load," Drakken directed toward Wade. "If you would, I want to speak directly to him."

Ron saw Wade briefly type on his keyboard before he was replaced by Drakken. On television, everyone watched the screen split with Drakken on the left and Ron on the right.

"What do you say? _Can_ you do it?"

Ron took a breath. He was ready to answer, but Drakken said more.

"I'll tell you what. Even if you decide not to try, I'll proceed with my demands for the world. My means to do so will even be because of you… or should I say you're other self?" Drakken held up the disk. "Do you know what's on this disk? Your Zorpox persona was either smart enough or foolish enough to save the designs of two very impressive devices. I'm sure you recall them. You might even be aware that I've recently used your mega-weather generator and sonic annihilator.

"Take a good look, those of you who are watching." Drakken's image blinked away again to be replaced by images of the two weapons. He reappeared, no longer holding the disk. "And those of you who doubt that buffoon could even build a cabin from Lincoln Logs should know that these work and I am just itching to use them." His attention returned to Ron. "Well? Will you come for her, or will you abandon your girlfriend?"

Ron's grip on the Kimmunicator tightened, and everyone watching and listening heard him boldly say, "Just try and stop me from coming after her."

"Oh, I intend to. And I'm going to let the world watch you fail. Let's see if you can make it through a challenge. Go to my old lair where you were this morning. _If_ you win, I will tell you where we are. And only you. I'll not expose my location to the world." He reached out with one hand to disconnect his transmission. With the other hand he extended his index and middle fingers to form a 'V' and said, "Peace out." Then he was gone from both the news and the Kimmunicator.

Ron looked at Wade when he heard, "Ron, you are going, right?"

Ron nodded. "I am," he replied firmly. Then he switched off and put the device away.

Ron looked around the classroom while the anchorwoman continued with the news of what was just exchanged, Thoughts and expressions of his classmates were mixed. Some doubted he could do this. Others could not accept the probability that the devices they were shown by Drakken were built by Ron. They watched as he grabbed his backpack, stood up, and walked to the classroom door.

"I need to be excused," he said unemotionally to the teacher. Then he left. In the hallway Rufus scurried up and onto Ron's left shoulder. "Ready, Rufus?"

Rufus looked at him boldly. "Ready!" Then off they went.

* * *

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	3. Stepping Up

Chapter 3 – Stepping Up

* * *

"I repeat: I want all stations on High Alert!" the female voice commanded, echoing throughout Global Justice Headquarters. 

Doctor Director of Global Justice was seated in the watch center knowing, after having seen this broadcast, and in it Kim Possible captive, that Team Possible's many enemies would take advantage of Kim's absence and begin executing some new schemes of their own. And although she herself did not have much confidence in Ron, based on GJ's past observations of him, the director knew _that_ half of Team Possible would be unavailable for missions if he is occupied with meeting Drakken's challenge.

All available GJ agents stationed around the world were now standing by.

* * *

The subjects of Ron's first challenge had long since departed for Drakken's former lair. It was now a matter of waiting for Ron to be ready and on his way. Drakken reclined in his own watch center inside the Icelandic lair looking over several large display screens on the wall. The picture on the primary screen was of the Stoppable residence, the house at the center and the street displayed at the bottom. From the moment Ron left his school Drakken followed him via satellite. Ron had now been inside for several minutes. 

Somewhere up ahead in the watch center a signal caught his attention. Shego, who had been walking among the henchmen and their consoles, also heard the signal, for she was moving towards the console that broadcast it. Drakken remained seated, waiting while Shego spoke with the henchman at the console. She finally turned to her boss.

"Doctor D., we have something."

"What?" he asked and waited for the answer.

Shego looked back at the henchman to say something. Then pointing at the primary screen she added, "We happened upon what could be the frequency of a tracking device."

Drakken looked at the screen and saw a yellow blip flashing on the rooftop at the right-front side of the house. A smirk appeared as Drakken thought, _"Now we'll be able to follow him much easier."_ He looked at Shego with a hint of admiration. "Well done."

With his expression serious again, he looked back at the monitors and added, "Keep on it, and get Kim Possible on screen."

The primary display changed to the girl's cell room. She lay on her cot, arms crossed, looking occupied with thoughts.

"Oh, Miss Possible."

Kim did not flinch at the sound of his mockingly pleasant voice. Frowning, she looked at him with grim, green eyes, yet did not say anything.

Drakken ignored her look. "I thought it may interest you to know that we have your sidekick's tracking device frequency." He ordered one of his henchmen to show her.

Kim gasped hearing her nemesis reveal this. She was even more shaken when she saw Ron's house and the yellow blip, and realized Drakken was not bluffing. Attempting to look Kim-posed and confident, she stated dismissively, "No big. He'll still come for me even if you tell him you know about it."

Drakken's response was dry. "That's fine with me," he said with a shoulder shrug. "The sooner he loses, the sooner I can get on with my scheme."

"Yo Dr. D, check this out!" Shego called.

He found her standing near a new console, looking at him and pointing again towards the monitors on the wall before looking back at the primary screen. He saw that the Stoppable residence was back on that screen. The scene was different, though. A large mass of people were gathering outside the house, even on the streets.

To see this gathering puzzled Drakken. It irritated him, though, when he saw on the other screen that Kim was smiling. Ron was gaining support.

* * *

Now dressed, Ron slipped on his backpack in which was stored his own jetpack. Not knowing what he was up against he packed nothing specific, not even weapons. This was short notice anyway, so there was nothing Wade could devise for him. Whatever Ron was to face would have to be hand-to… whatever. 

"_Hey, I know some monkey kung fu,"_ Ron thought._ "That ought to work for me."_

With Rufus set on his shoulder, Ron headed for the door. As he reached for the knob he heard his mother.

"Ronnie, you must come and see this," she called from downstairs.

He went down to the main floor to find her looking out at the front yard through a window in the living room. "What is it, Mom?"

She stepped back from the window and gestured toward it with an arm. "Take a look."

Ron went over to the window and looked. To see so many people there amazed him, even Rufus. Many of them were from the neighborhood and school. Some in the crowd, particularly classmates, held up handwritten signs of support. Among them were also several of the people Team Possible helped in the past who had already repaid Ron and Kim with rides. It looked as though they would offer to help again. But since he would be taking the jet he knew that he would have to turn them down, thanking them still. He stepped outside and was met with applause.

As the applause continued he looked around at them wondering how he should respond. He decided that a grateful smile and a wave seemed the appropriate opening gestures. Slowly the applause ended. They must have now expected him to speak.

"Well…" he began. "Thank you all for coming here to see me off. I'm glad that Kim has all of you here routing for her return. I know there are others who share your hopes, and I… I want everyone to know I'll do everything I can to get her back."

As he spoke there was movement in the crowd to his left. The bystanders there parted as a group of four pressed through until they stood at the front. Ron looked to see they were the Possibles, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P. and the tweebs. Having one more thing to say, he spoke on.

"I also want to thank some of you here who Kim and I have helped in the past. I know you're here to give me a ride, but I…" he briefly noted Mr. Dr. P then looked back at the crowd. "I already have transportation arranged. Please, excuse me."

He opened the front door. "Mom, I'm going now."

She stepped outside to give him a hug. "Be very careful, Son."

"I will," he said embracing her. The crowd admired the moment.

After they released each other, he added, "Tell Dad I'll see you later," before he went out to meet the Possibles.

"Are you ready, Ronald?" asked James.

"Yes, sir," he replied with a nod.

He walked with Kim's family to their house, leaving behind the crowd which slowly dispersed. James and Ron got into the Possibles' family car, with Mrs. P and the tweebs seeing them off as the two drove to the Middleton Space Center. Before Ron boarded the jet, James spoke briefly with him.

"Be brave, but be careful. We believe you can win this, Ronald." He held out his hand.

Ron did the same and they shook hands. "Thanks, Dr. P. And I promise you I won't screw this up." James smiled and gave him a grateful nod.

Ron boarded the jet. _"I really hope I don't screw this up,"_ he inwardly added.

Taking a seat and pulling out his Kimmunicator, he contacted Wade. "I'm ready, Wade. Let's get airborne."

"You got it," Wade replied. Following a series of keystrokes the jet powered up and soon took off, bound for the crumbled lair of Doctor Drakken.

Ron did not see it, but as the jet passed over Middleton High, a message on the sign read, "**STOPPABLE, BRING KIM HOME**."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when the jet touched down in a clearing a short distance from the lair. There was no need to land on the beach; Ron was expected. He now waited near the rubble for whomever or whatever he was supposed to fight. 

During his trip, Ron frequently reminded himself that he could do this. He remembered from just this day alone Drakken saying that Kim believes Ron can save her. There were also all of those people from Middleton at his house. Also, he had been exposed to mystical monkey power; he even trained at Yamanouchi. And as he once told Team Impossible, his skills come and go. _"I just hope they're with me today. I'm sure I'll need them."_

He switched Wade's image on when his Kimmunicator sounded off. "Go, Wade."

"It looks like Drakken was serious about the world watching. He has webcams pointing from several locations towards the area your standing at."

"Any sign of my opponent?"

He watched as Wade examined different webcam angles. He saw the boy's brow rise and his mouth open in an apprehensive way.

"What do you see, Wade?" urged Ron.

Wade spoke uncertainly. "Uh… It looks more like oppo**nents**."

"What?! How many?"

"…Six."

"_Six?!"_ Ron cried. Drakken was totally not bringing a fair fight.

Wade knew that what he was about to add would only boost Ron's already present stress. "And Ron… they're synthodrones."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Ron shouted. However, Wade was not kidding. Ron heard footsteps and rustling grass to his left from around the rubble. Then he saw them – their purple and black tight uniforms, and helmets to match – marching single file toward his spot.

* * *

"Drakken!" 

Kim's blue-skinned nemesis heard her cry and looked at her screen. She stood virtually face-to-face with him and everyone in the watch center, scowling, and hands pressed firmly against the wall.

"Ron can barely handle _one_ synthodrone! Why did you have to send six against him?!"

His features were unsympathetic. "I'm the bad guy here, Miss Possible. If you were expecting fair, fair isn't my style."

Her glare deepened and now she was gritting her teeth. Drakken was not intimidated by her expression.

"Care to make a wager, Miss Possible? I say he won't last more than thirty seconds."

To his amusement her only response was a furious fist-pounding on her cell wall. Then she stomped over to her cot and sat down. Whatever she began to think about – her sidekick's wellbeing or "Death to Drakken" – he ignored and turned his attention over to the island screen, seeing that his synthodrones now surrounded the buffoon.

Drakken wanted to be sure Kim did not miss this. He ordered one of his men to route video and sound to her cell. He saw that she did take notice of the screen change. She saw how Ron was surrounded, and then she sat forward at the edge of her cot gripping the material tensely. Her concern for him was quite obvious.

The synthodrones attacked…

If Kim had taken Drakken up on his bet that Ron would last less than thirty seconds, she would have won. Ron did last more than thirty seconds, lucky to have dodged the first attacks of all six of his assailants. He also succeeded in pulling some of his own moves, frequently making contact, but his attempts had no effect. Unfortunately they were more agile and quickly became accustomed to his movements. The fight ended, the give and take leaving Ron defeated, bruised, and unconscious, and six synthetic opponents victorious. Not even Rufus could deal with them. Drakken had learned after losing his best synthodrone Erik by the mole rat's bite not to let the critter pull the same sneaky move again. During his attempt to retaliate after Ron had lost, Rufus had been caught and chucked. He now lay unconscious somewhere in the grass.

Kim slumped down onto the cot at the sight of Ron's defeat. Mouth open, her face dropped to her hands in dismay, her elbows pressed into her thighs by the weight of her head. She looked on at the scene on the monitor wide-eyed; it was inconceivable. But here she was, a prisoner, and Ron was beaten. Team Possible has actually lost.

Drakken took great delight at the obvious loss by Ron, but more so at the devastated look on Kim's face; a look that even Shego relished. There were hurrahs and high-fives among the henchmen. Drakken wondered what the rest of the world was thinking at this moment about Kim's sidekick. Ron had just _so_ let her down. He linked to Kim's cell.

"Ha! _That_ was your best chance at being rescued?" he scoffed.

As expected of Drakken as that was, she still despised him for what he had done to Ron. She so wanted to curse at him, but she held her tongue.

* * *

Slowly his eyes opened. His first thought was, _"Man, I really screwed that up."_

As recent events quickly came back to him he bolted upright and anxiously looked all around for the synthodrones. They were nowhere to be found. And while that might have seemed a comforting feeling to him, something else seemed rather unsettling. There was no grass around him, no crumbled lair… there was no island. Instead there were pillars and stone walls with burning oil lamps, and before him a table with two more burning oil lamps, one to the right and another on the left. In the middle there was a banana.

Feeling a mix of awe and interest, Ron watched as the banana peeled itself. Slowly, from nothing, a transparent, shaven-head, little man appeared dressed in an orange robe. On his right shoulder sat a little monkey. The little man opened his eyes to see the youth in his presence. His expression went from serene to astonishment.

"Ron Stoppable?" The tone of his voice reflected his latter expression. He bowed his head. "This is truly an honor."

_This apparition knows my name? _"Who are you?" Ron asked as he finally stood up. "How do you know my name?"

The little man raised his head. "I am merely and oracle, Master Stoppable, but I have long known about you. I am also here to present you with something?"

_Me? A master? _"Please," Ron said, shaking his head and waving his hands dissuasively. "I am no master. In fact, the last thing I remember is losing a fight… against synthodrones."

The oracle spoke calmly. "Do not fret, Master Stoppable. These, uh, synthodrones as you call them, have not seen your true power. That is what I am here to help you unlock."

'Here' was another subject that puzzled Ron. "Here? Where is that and exactly _how_ did I get here?"

"You are not here physically, Master Stoppable. You were brought to me by the untapped power of the Mystical Monkey Master within you. With the gift I have for you, your true power will awaken."

This news confused but thrilled Ron. And, that he would be able to beat Drakken and rescue Kim, hope won over any doubts he felt.

"All right, then. Then let's get to it."

Bowing in compliance, the oracle replied, "Yes, Master Stoppable."

Ron stood there, watching the little man close his eyes. Then the apparition placed his hands together, palm to palm, before locking his fingers and thumbs, save for the index fingers which remained pressed together and extended. Bringing his folded hands to just inches from his face, the oracle aligned his index fingers with the bridge of his nose. Ron saw faint signs of blue light begin to appear around the little man, and intensify so much that every oil lamp was at risk of being extinguished.

A strange sensation flowed through Ron's entire body. He looked himself over and discovered that he was encased in his own blue light which remained with him briefly, and then faded. Ron looked back up at the apparition who was now looking calmly upon him, smiling.

"It is done, Master Stoppable. Go and bring balance to the world." With these final words, the oracle vanished with the little monkey on his shoulder. Ron's surroundings turned black.

* * *

An elderly man, the sensei of the Yamanouchi School of Ninjitsu, sat in meditation. Yori, student of the ninja school and ally of Team Possible, silently entered her master's chamber. He could sense that she was there. 

"Did you feel it, Yori?"

"I did Master Sensei," she replied. "His spark has become a flame."

"And as he grows, the flame will burn ever stronger."

Yori bowed and left his presence.

* * *

"I gotta hand to you, Dr D. What you did to Stoppable was pretty low." Shego walked up the four steps from the console section of the watch center to Drakken's chair. 

"Thank you, Shego." Whether her remark was complimentary or sarcastic, Drakken still smiled. "I, too, am rather proud of it. My synthodrones did rather well, didn't they?"

Shego nodded. "Yes they did," she replied leaning against the back of his chair. Her eyes scanned every monitor on the distant wall, coming to a halt on Kim's monitor. The girl still looked crushed. Drakken's syntho-victory over Stoppable did Kim more damage than any plasma attack from Shego ever had.

"Call them back," Drakken ordered. "They've done their job." One of his henchmen made contact with his synthodrones to instruct them to return. He watched his creations turn and march.

"Get me the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of England, and the U.N.," he further ordered. "They shall be the first to surrender to me; otherwise I'll crush them all."

Before his henchmen could, they were disrupted by a cry of, "HEY!" To the dismay of all in the watch center it came from the island monitors.

* * *

"_This time Drakken has _really_ won."_ Kim hated admitting this to herself. She barely moved since sitting down, and still felt miserable. She almost felt like crying. But knowing Drakken was watching, and that it would amuse him to see her break down, Kim refused. 

Kim Possible can do anything. So she regained her Kim-posure and prayed for a miracle.

She was startled by a cry of "HEY!" from the monitor. To see that Ron was again standing surprised her even more. He looked strangely re-energized and confident. And if he was in pain, he masked it extremely well. But seeing Ron in a fighting stance – feet firmly planted and fists raised – she was instantly overjoyed. Her prayer had been heard; this was _so_ not over.

* * *

The darkness quickly vanished when Ron finally opened his eyes and he could see that he was still on the island. He quickly rose to his feet, not having forgotten why he was here. He scouted for the synthodrones, which were no longer around him and found them walking away. "HEY!" He felt so ready to take them on again, and completely pain free despite his injuries. 

All six of them stopped and turned around.

"We're not finished, yet! I have not yet begun to fight!" (A/N: with respects to John Paul Jones.)

* * *

Minus Team Possible's enemies, the world admired Ron Stoppable's interesting choice of words.

* * *

The synthodrones returned to Ron's spot, having received Drakken's command to finish this nuisance. Ron never moved, not even after they encircled him; the first stood just to his right and the rest went around the back of him, the sixth standing just to his left. 

How he had known the fourth would attack first was a mystery to witnesses worldwide. To Ron, though, it was a feeling; certainly a credit to his recently awakened monkey powers. He crouched to one knee as number four's fist sprang for the back of his skull and missed. With both hands he reached for the lower left and right legs of numbers three and four respectively, and yanked on them, throwing these two off balance and dropping them to the ground. As quickly as he stood, Ron back-flipped and kicked number one in the jaw with his right foot. The impact to its chin forced this supposedly durable thing onto its back.

* * *

Drakken and company – not to mention Kim and the world – were completely astounded at Ron's unexpected new skills. "Hold the phone!" Drakken cried. "Since when can he do _that_?!"

* * *

In another part of the world sat a man watching Ron Stoppable's exceptional performance. He leaned forward in his seat with keen interest, fingers of his one hand entwined with the cybernetic fingers of his other hand. 

"It would seem my sister has dismissed her 'Ron Factor' research rather prematurely," Gemini noted verbally. With an urge to see more he decided to make a call to the man who started this.

* * *

With a swiftness Ron had not had… ever, he outclassed them. This time the synthodrones were beaten… and a mess. Snytho-slime everywhere – on the ground, all over the heap of syntho-remains, and Ron. 

Now that his fight was over he took a moment to clear his head. Rufus! He scouted around, calling out his little buddy's name. Ron finally found him in the grass. Rufus lay still. He looked closely to see that Rufus was at least breathing, and having owned him for so long Ron could tell that was okay breathing. Nothing bad appeared to be wrong with him; Rufus would wake up sooner or later. He then looked around for and recovered his backpack which had been pulled from him during the course of the first fight.

In one hand he cradled his little friend. With his free hand Ron placed his backpack onto one shoulder before pulling out his Kimmunicator. "Come in, Wade."

"Ron!" Wade was surprised, yet glad when he saw Ron. "How… how did you do that?"

"Maybe I'll explain later. Patch me through to Drakken."

"Actually he's waiting to talk to you."

The picture switched. "I don't know what's come over you," Drakken snarled, "but-"

Ron interrupted him. "Stuff it, Drakken. I won your challenge. Now tell me where you are and where you're keeping Kim," he demanded.

"You're wrong!" Drakken argued. "You were knocked out. You lost."

"And _you_ never said that this was only going to be a one-round fight. I may have lost at first… but let's consider that a warm-up round."

"Warm up?!" That buffoon's response was ludicrous. Drakken was about to say something else when he was interrupted by an incoming transmission.

* * *

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	4. Contenders Part 1

Chapter 4 – Contenders Part I

* * *

Ron Stoppable has never fought like that. Any success he had before was only due to his 'dumb skill,' something Drakken was familiar with on many an occasion. He was livid at the idea that the boy considered the first round of his fight a 'warm-up.' Yet to that idea, Drakken had no practical comeback; he fought the urge to grumble in the usual unintelligible way that Shego frequently drove him to do while clenching his fists at his sides and gritting his teeth in a malicious expression aimed at Ron. He wrestled with the thought that he would have to comply with the agreement to tell Ron where he was, but Drakken was momentarily spared the embarrassment of conceding when it was reported that someone wanted to speak to him.

His tone was bitter when he asked, "Who is it?"

"He says he will only speak with you on a secure line before identifying himself," stated the henchman.

"Well tell whoever he is to buzz off! I don't have time to chat!"

"He says he has a proposition for you regarding the boy."

_A proposition?_ Drakken's frustration gave way to curiosity. He decided to comply. "Very well. Go secure." Drakken then looked at Ron's screen. "Don't go anywhere," he stressed. "I'm not through with you yet." He then gave the order to terminate all transmissions, cutting off the world, Kim, Wade, and Ron.

When it was confirmed the transmission between Drakken and the incoming caller was safe, a single image was brought up on the main screen. Drakken recognized the leader of the Worldwide Evil Empire. "Gemini?"

"Greetings, Doctor Drakken." Gemini appeared genuinely pleasant and not at all smug.

"What's this I hear about a proposition?"

"Global Justice-" Drakken and company wondered why the sounds of growling and frantic barking would cause Gemini to stop speaking. Then they heard him apologize in a nauseatingly sweet tone to someone named Pepe who was off screen.

Gemini resumed addressing Drakken in a more serious tone. "**GJ** once conducted research on Mr. Stoppable, believing he was the secret behind Kim Possible's success."

Drakken knew that was absolute rubbish.

Gemini continued. "I sought him out to learn about the skills he possessed; I lost agents in the process of my research. When I finally had him, he insistently claimed he has never been the key to Kim Possible's success. Not long after, his partner Kim Possible and the director of…" He caught himself almost saying 'Global Justice' again, knowing those two words always upset Pepe. Once he resumed, his tone grew dark with each passing word. "…GJ infiltrated my lair and defeated me! Ron Stoppable made a fool of me!" At the word fool, the armrest of his chair was fractured when he angrily pounded his cybernetic hand against it.

Gemini took a few breaths, calming down. "I seek to avenge myself of that humiliation."

Gemini's attitude towards Ron intrigued Drakken. Yet there was one thing that troubled him. "Just a moment. If you beat him then the credit goes to you. I'm still left to deal with the humiliation of this defeat."

The founder of WEE simply smiled. "Nonsense. This is your challenge. You would merely send him to the next round… or next level, whatever you want to call it. I merely desire the satisfaction of his defeat." A map appeared onscreen with the Greek symbol for Gemini blinking steadily, indicating the location selected by the man Gemini. "I want you to send him here." Beside the symbol was the name of the site.

The map was gone leaving only Gemini. "'Ron Factor' or not, he will pay. When you send him, say nothing about me. Also, you're welcome to let the world watch this as well."

Drakken, Shego, and all others knew not what he meant by 'Ron Factor,' but Drakken was eager to comply. After he agreed, and after Gemini added one more suggestion, the transmission ended. Drakken ordered all regular communications up again.

* * *

"No! You agreed to tell me where Kim is if I won your challenge!"

It was now Ron who was outraged when Drakken refused to disclose Kim's whereabouts and said that a new contender was chosen to battle Ron. As instructed, Drakken said nothing to Ron about Gemini. He simply instructed Ron to travel to the Theatre of Dionysus, in Athens, Greece, where his next challenge awaits.

When Ron refused, Drakken merely crossed his arms and smiled haughtily. "You will go, or bad things will happen to good people… specifically your girlfriend." Gemini suggested that he ought to do to Kim whatever he chose if Ron did not comply with this challenge. "To Athens, you buffoon." Drakken ended the conversation.

* * *

Ron was now en route to Athens and Rufus was finally conscious. After a scan by Wade, he was assured his mole rat was 'A-Okay.' It troubled him that Wade had still not located Drakken's newest lair. His communication with Drakken ended so fast he never had the chance to ask if he would then learn of Kim's location if he beat this one. If his challenger knew, maybe he could get the answer out of him.

Ron finally touched down in Athens, and with Wade's help he was able to find the ruined theatre. Ron, having made his way to the ancient, stone stage, looked around, finding no one. The theatre was out in the open and there were no structures anyone could hide behind very well, not even the trees. Thermal scans by Wade revealed him to be the only one there.

"Wait a second." Wade spotted something on his monitor then tapped some keys on his keyboard. "Ron you've got incoming." He switched the image on the Kimmunicator so Ron could see, too. There were eighteen blinking dots closing in on the center of the screen.

"What do you think they are?"

Wade received feedback from a scan of the objects. "They're not very big." He paused. "They're aerial cameras. You should see them now, heading your way from your left."

Ron looked. Each one flew, none flying by propeller or rotor. They scattered and settled at different spots, some on seats, others in the trees; some nearby for close-ups, and others at a distance for wide view. Three remained in the air, hovering around the stage.

"Ron, there's something else headed your way. A single aircraft, directly ahead of you."

Ron looked up and spotted the large jet. It approached, and then landed a little more than one hundred meters away, the port side facing Ron. A door slid open at the middle section of the plane, followed by a stairwell descending to the ground. From the doorway and down the stairwell marched twenty-three uniformed men, each bearing a Greek letter. To his dismay they all carried various weapons – spears, swords, or holstered laser pistols. Each entered and scattered around the theatre.

Ron regarded each armed man apprehensively, but strangely felt no reason to assume a fighting stance since none appeared intent on fighting yet. His back was now facing the location of the jet. A couple of the agents he faced pointed behind him. Ron turned to look back at the jet and found one more person – a familiar face, one eye concealed by a patch, and one lethal, robotic hand – descending the stairwell.

* * *

Drakken was grateful for the chip planted on Ron. It allowed him to know where the boy was and for the cameras to find the theatre. The sight of Gemini's armed men troubled him, but this feeling he kept to himself.

Shego addressed Drakken with the question that Kim, Ron, and the entire world demanded be answered. "Dr. D, I know you want Stoppable beaten, but don't you think killing him is going too far?"

Only Shego and his henchmen would receive an answer. "This is Gemini's fight," he replied with a shrug.

Shego glanced at the monitor displaying Kim's cell. Kim knew nothing about the arrangement between Drakken and Gemini. She saw how the girl was practically against the wall, horrified, staring at the monitor displaying the theatre setting, palms pressed firmly to the right and left of the screen, fearing for Ron. Shego was a villain, but she felt a slight twinge of sympathy for the girl. She looked back to the Theatre of Dionysus.

* * *

"This does not bode well for the Ronster," he said aloud to himself, just as Gemini stopped at the outer seating area. "I take it a tour of the theatre and history lesson are out of the question?" he called out to the approaching villain.

Gemini merely huffed at Ron's remark. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Ron Stoppable," greeted the WEE leader. "I was very impressed with your skills against Drakken's fighters."

"So you're my next challenge?" Ron asked. "Why?"

"Old times' sake," Gemini answered plainly. "Plus, you did quite well in _unarmed_ combat. It's time to test you in armed combat."

"But I don't have a weapon!"

"Then you came unprepared," was the mock-pity response.

Ron tapped his pocket to summon Rufus. "We got trouble, little buddy," he said quietly. "I'm going to need help, big time."

Rufus poked his head out and looked around. He gasped then looked up at Ron.

"Go find us some weapons."

Rufus nodded then leapt from his haven and hurried off.

This act did not escape Gemini's notice. "Sparing your little rodent?"

"I'm… making things up as I go?" Ron replied. He wondered to himself, _"Now what?"_

"_A true warrior needs not his eyes to see."_ The familiar voice spoke inside Ron's head.

"_Sensei?"_

"_These men will come at you from all directions, Stoppable-san. If you rely solely on your eyes to find them, you will lose."_

"_You're suggesting I fight with my eyes closed?"_

"_Hai."_

"_But, Sensei, they also have weapons. I don't."_

"_Remember my words? 'So long as your heart remains pure-'"_

"_The Lotus Blade!"_

"_Correct. If you need it, the Lotus Blade will come to you."_ Sensei's voice faded with,_ "You can do it."_

"Okay then," Ron said out loud.

Gemini took note of how Ron looked like he was staring into space over the past couple of minutes. "I take it you're done thinking and are finally ready?" he asked, hands on his hips.

Ron looked up at Gemini for a moment. Without a response he removed his backpack, and then knelt down and began rummaging through it. After several seconds he pulled out his football jersey. He looked at it for just a moment, considered its significance, then shrugged his shoulders – the jersey could be replaced. He then tore a long section from it, dropped the refuse, and then stood up. Aligning the strip with his eyes, Ron then wrapped it around his head and tied it. Then his hands fell to his sides and he just stood there.

"You honestly think you can win fighting blind?!" Gemini, as baffled as the viewers around the world, asked after a few silent seconds. Ron did not answer him.

Gemini huffed. With a nod, he then signaled to one of his agents to his left. This one, Agent Sigma, carried a spear. Complying, Sigma looked down at the boy on the stage. He raised his weapon, drew it back, and threw it.

Ron could see nothing but the barest amount of daylight through his blindfold. Still, since almost the instant his eyes were covered, his monkey powers kicked in. He could hear the wind and other distinctive sounds, but he especially heard breathing around him. Strangely, he could practically tell where every one of Gemini's agents stood around him, as well as Gemini himself. There was also the faint sensation of a patter at his feet – Rufus was still wandering around somewhere.

Ron quickly leaned to his left just before something zipped right by him. Between a sense of danger and the rapidly increasing, yet usually inaudible, sound of something thin slicing through the air, Ron avoided the spear thrown by Agent Sigma. Sensing no other imminent threat, Ron stood straight.

Surely the rest of the world was as dumbstruck as Gemini and the agents there. He could not believe Ron had actually avoided the spear and so decided to signal Agents Rho and Iota, both armed with swords. They went down to the stage, standing to the right and left of Ron. In a pattern they swung their swords all about him trying to strike, but the young monkey master ironically snaked his way around both agents' attempts to cut him. To everyone's astonishment, Ron was able to first grab Rho, and then Iota by a wrist. He flipped them over themselves and disarmed them. Ron then tossed the swords aside; these were not his weapons of choice.

Not about to take chances that more would charge him while he remained weaponless, he decided to summon the Lotus Blade. He barely had to think of it when there was a strange sensation in the air. Ron knew it was here, so raising his right hand up he readied for it. After an instant flash of light the Lotus Blade fell from midair and landed in his hand. Not wanting the death of anyone on his conscience, Ron transformed the Lotus Blade into his own long wooden staff. With it he could disarm and defeat his attackers without bloodshed. His blindfold still in place, Ron took a fighting stance.

Only a few have ever seen a weapon do what Ron had just done – make a weapon become something else. The world was certainly amazed, but Gemini's agents were rather unnerved by the feat. But at the command of their leader, the agents dismissed their anxiety and charged. All twenty-three had something to bring into the fray – Sigma, Rho, and Iota had each recovered their weapons. The seven men armed with laser pistols stood their ground from the seating area, but held their weapons at the ready for a chance to fire at Ron. Frequently shots were fired, but Ron mysteriously avoided them all. From time to time Ron had surprisingly fought his way past those armed with spears and swords and managed to incapacitate each gunman.

Hearing that fighting had begun, Rufus stopped his search and hurried back to the theatre. He watched in amazement as Ron battled the horde of agents, swinging his staff like a master. His attention was drawn to the gunmen who remained among the seats. Although Ron had gotten to some of them, one appeared to have a clear shot of Rufus' best friend. The mole rat raced over to that gunman and climbed up and all around his person. His attempt worked, for the gunman lost focus, freaked, and began thrashing about in an attempt to dislodge the critter.

Both the pistol and consciousness were lost to the agent by Ron who managed to make his way to the distracted man.

In the end, some men were unconscious, there were minor injuries, and no blood was spilled; let it not go unmentioned that a few of them fled, particularly a couple of the agents whose laser pistols had been lost to them. But, all had surrendered.

As for Ron, he was merely a bit winded. He felt something crawl up his mission clothes and perch on his shoulder. Removing his blindfold he found Rufus smiling. "Thanks buddy," he said and patted Rufus on the head. Rufus smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

* * *

The world was all the more open-mouthed in amazement at Ron's latest display of skills. Drakken, on the other hand, quickly shifted from amazement to further infuriation.

"The blindfold – the sword – _Since when can he DO that?!"_ he cried out to all in the watch center, his arms outstretched. Yet who there could actually answer that question?

He so wanted to know that he intended to demand an answer from Kim. But the look on Kim's face when he looked at her screen and saw her just as mystified as anyone else told him she had no explanation.

* * *

There was still Gemini. The villain kept out of the fight to observe Stoppable's skills. He was undoubtedly amazed, but this is the Ron Factor he had counted on. He would let Drakken believe that his entire reason for this was revenge, but he was determined to have Stoppable as one of his.

The boy, who had recently defeated every one of his agents, who had just welcomed back his little friend, now turned to face him, the Lotus Staff now held and propped on the ground beside him like a walking stick. The mole rat, still on his shoulder, scowled at Gemini.

"Well?" Ron asked, apparently prompting Gemini to make the next move.

Gemini made two – he smiled, and then raised his hands and began a slow applause. "Wonderful," he added after one last clap.

The world was likely confused by this gesture. Ron and Rufus exchanged similar looks.

Gemini began his decent down towards the theatre. "This is more than I ever hoped for." He sounded very pleased. "You have exceeded my expectations of your skills, Ron Stoppable – I am _very_ impressed." He now stood before Ron. "In fact, I'm _so_ impressed… how would you feel about… a _partnership?_" Gemini reached out and grasped Ron's shoulders, forcing Rufus to leap from his place. There was excitement in his eyes.

"Think of it, Stoppable!" He insisted. "You would not work for me as an agent – no not as Agent Alpha, but with me as an _equal_!"

Ron just looked at Gemini as though the man was wack.

"You could be 'Taurus,' or maybe even 'Scorpio'!"

"_Definitely wack,"_ Ron concluded to himself. With his free hand Ron gave Gemini a light push against his chest as a gesture for him to step back. "Easy there, fella."

Gemini did step back, giving Ron a little personal space. Ron continued. "Let me just say this. My name is Ron Stoppable, and I already have a partnership – with Kim Possible." Ron felt within him that in spite of her current distress, and if she is watching and listening, saying that made Kim smile.

The excitement in Gemini's face melted away when he heard this. He now looked at Ron with contempt.

"Where is she, Gemini? Where's Kim?" Ron was firm. He had had enough of Drakken's 'game.'

Gemini closed his eyes and shook his head, caring little for Stoppable's demand; he was quite disappointed in the boy. "I don't know," he answered flatly, looking at Ron again. "Drakken didn't tell me, and I didn't care to know. _You_ were all I was interested in." He turned and left the stage.

Ron watched as he ascended the hill back towards his aircraft, seeming to leave without his defeated agents. Ron supposed he was retreating, but that thought was nixed when Gemini stopped midway up the hill and turned again to look down at him. Gemini then raised his cybernetic hand, aiming at Ron's spot, fingers and thumb spread wide. Five digits then launched from his hand and rocketed their way toward Ron.

"Rufus, run!" Ron cried. The mole rat was too petrified to flee, and so remained perched on his friend's shoulder.

Each projectile spread out, giving Ron no place, left or right, to run. He could not bear to watch his own demise, so shutting his eyes he buried his face behind crossed arms.

The world watched as the miniature missiles hit the stage and exploded. Flames and stage debris flew thick and high. But once the flames and smoke vanished and dust settled… to the shock of Gemini and all watching, Ron was still alive and still standing. He was encased by a transparent, blue shield, big enough to surround Rufus, him, and the staff he still held in his right hand.

"Whoa," was all that past Gemini's lips.

Realizing he was still alive, Ron slowly opened his eyes. He was amazed to see the shield. Ron did not know if it was he who created it or if the weapon was protecting its master. Now feeling safe, Ron uncrossed his arms; the shield vanished.

His fight was not over yet. He looked up at the sound of a mad roar that came from Gemini. The man was charging toward him, his cybernetic hand raised high. There was a new feature to that hand. Where there were once finger-rockets, there were now a new thumb and razor-sharp finger blades. Gemini ran up to Ron and took a swing at him.

Ron quickly restored his weapon to a sword, just as Gemini's fingers connected with the metal of the Lotus Blade. There were but a few attempts by Gemini to strike Ron, but the boy maneuvered to one side, took a swing, and off came the upper half of the hand; the thumb remained. In shock, Gemini gripped his wrist and stared at what remained of his limb. He then fell to his knees.

Looking up at Ron he cried, "You took my hand!"

"I'm sure you'll be able to replace it," was Ron's response.

Now that his fight with Gemini was over, Ron decided he no longer needed the sword. He tossed it back into the air where it vanished, returning to its place at Yamanouchi.

"Please, Gemini, where's Kim?"

Gemini was too occupied by his injury that he had not heard Ron at first, nor did he pay attention to Ron sending away the sword. But once he heard the boy ask about his friend, he looked at him. "I told you I don't know," he reaffirmed. "Ask Drakken yourself."

For a moment Ron just looked at the now pitiable villain and gave an annoyed sigh. Then he pulled out his Kimmunicator. "Wade, can you have Global Justice-"

The boy genius interrupted. "They're already there, Ron."

GJ agents appeared at the top of the hill, Dr. Director was among them.

"Patch me through to Drakken." Wade transferred him. "Enough is enough," he said to the indignant looking villain. "Where are you and where is Kim?"

Abandoning his agitation, Drakken responded straightforward with, "Don't think you've won yet, you buffoon. I have another opponent for you to face. Here is where you are to go."

While Ron received his latest instructions, much to his displeasure, Gemini and his WEE agents were being escorted by GJ agents to face criminal charges.

Dr. Director walked alongside her brother. "You and your men weren't really trying to kill Stoppable, were you?" She knew Gemini was a madman, but also that he was no murderer.

"No," he insisted. "I just hoped he would really consider joining me this time. I so thought he would when I offered him a partnership." He looked so dejected when he said this. He received a genuinely sympathetic pat on his shoulder from his sister.

* * *

Read and Review. Thank you. 


	5. Contenders Part 2

Chapter 5 – Contenders Part II

* * *

Drakken and his entire company watched as Ron Stoppable defeated twenty-four men. Twenty-three of them while blindfolded! He displayed skills no one thought he could – _blindfolded_! And Ron surviving certain death by explosives with that mysterious shield? Drakken supposed that the boy was lucky enough to be equipped with some sort of force field device designed by the technical expert of Team Possible. It never seemed to fail that Team Possible always was equipped with the right gear, no matter the mission. 

During the course of the confrontation between Gemini and Ron, a call was answered by one of the henchmen. When he informed Drakken of the call, Drakken ordered it through and onscreen. The caller was Lord Montgomery Fisk.

"You have something to say, Monkey Fist?" inquired Drakken glumly.

Fist looked impassive. "I think it fair to warn you that Gemini will not triumph," he stated with certainty.

"Oh?" Drakken then looked to the screen displaying the fight. Gemini's cybernetic hand came off a moment later. Drakken huffed dragged a hand down his face in frustration. He then sighed. Looking back at Monkey Fist, he asked, "So why did you call?"

"Allow me to face young Stoppable."

Drakken doubted even Monkey Fist could 'triumph.' "How can you possibly be any better than Gemini?"

"Gemini is no master of Tai Xing Peq U'ar as I am. Ron Stoppable is only just discovering his skills, but he too is no master."

"He's beginning to look like a master to me!" Drakken argued.

Ignoring that statement, Monkey Fist's image was replaced by a virtual map of the African continent and a blinking cursor. "Direct him to this location. I will be ready and waiting for him. I will be the one who defeats him."

* * *

"Africa, huh? Let me guess. Monkey Fist." 

"No doubt," Ron answered Wade.

Drakken told Ron that another challenger has volunteered to fight, again disclosing no details about the opponent. But being told of the location of the fight, it was easy to figure out. It did not surprise Ron that Drakken would quite likely keep him globetrotting without ever disclosing his location or where he was keeping Kim prisoner. But he did not despair. One way or another he would find her; he would stop Drakken's latest take-over-the-world scheme, and find and destroy that disk and Zorpox's weapons.

Ron was now en route to the jungle location as instructed. While passing over the Mediterranean Sea, a tanker aircraft offered fuel, compliments of Great Britain's Royal Air Force. "Anything for Team Possible," said the tanker's pilot. As he departed, the pilot wished Ron luck with his mission.

Hours later, after a little self-training and some rest, Ron arrived, the jet landing in a jungle glade. After disembarking the jet with Rufus, both looked around for a path. There were four possibilities. Uncertain of which path to take, Ron called Wade who ran a satellite scan of the region. The path that would take Ron southeast for a few kilometers led to a gorge with a primitive-looking bridge. A close-up observation of the area near the gorge revealed a massive tree with indications of several facilities built from jungle material made up like living spaces on thick branches. The other paths led deeper and deeper into dense jungle. Wade relayed this to Ron who took the southeast path.

Unknown to Ron, and undetected by Wade, numerous objects exited the jet and followed Ron. Drakken managed to sneak his cameras aboard the jet before it left Greece.

Ron trusted Wade about where this path would lead. Still it was not an easy task. As with many paths there were obstacles. Ron decided to recall the Lotus Blade. With it he cut through the jungle foliage that barred his way. In one area there was a deep pit, too wide to leap over. Ron considered going around it, but trees and other jungle vegetation to each side would be a lot to get around. Some trees were too far apart to leap from branch to branch.

Thanks to Rufus, Ron succeeded in getting to the other side. Rufus climbed out of his pocket and looked into the pit. After looking at the sword then back at the pit he had an idea. Getting Ron's attention and grabbing a twig, the mole rat then mimicked pole-vaulting. Looking at the Lotus Blade, Ron then changed it to a staff, but it was standard size.

"It's not going to be long enough to reach the bottom of the pit, Rufus."

Rufus shook his head arguing that Ron did not understand. Rufus then snapped his twig in two and held the two halves side-by-side. He took several steps back then began running. Ron watched him simulate a pole-vaulter's sprint. Then with his right paw, he pulled one of the halves of the twig forward.

"Oh! You're saying extend the staff long enough to reach to bottom and I can still leap across!" Rufus smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Then hop back in, buddy, and let's get going."

After Rufus returned to his pocket, Ron took several steps back from the pit. Repositioning the staff in his hands, Ron then started running. The staff obeyed a mental command to extend, and the end opposite Ron grew in length. He then thrust the staff into the pit, pushed his feet off the ground, swung his legs forward and sailed through midair to land on the opposite side of the pit.

Rufus cheered in excitement. "Again, again!" he pleaded.

Ron smiled. "Another day, little buddy." Morphing the staff into a nunchaku, he placed the newly formed weapon into his backpack.

The jungle was thankfully void of anything predatory on this path. Their cries plus the sounds of other wildlife were distant. His mission pants and shirt both suffered tears and fraying as well before the path's end came. Ron was thankful that he still kept spare clothing available, even though it has been some time since he has had a loss-of-clothing incident. He would get them at the jet and change when he was done with Monkey Fist.

Stoppable reached the end of the path by early afternoon, jungle time. He found the tree Wade had discovered earlier. For a bit there were no signs of movement. Then a monkey, dressed in ninja garb, appeared from the lower branches climbing down the trunk of the tree. Ron watched as the monkey dashed across the ground, making its way to him. It stopped before him then pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper and handed it to Ron. As Ron began reading it, the monkey returned to the tree.

"There is no need to hide, Stoppable," Ron read. "I know you are here as I've been watching you since even before you landed. It is not due to Mystical Monkey Power that I know you are here. I get satellite TV, and you are still on it at this very moment. Climb up into the tree where you will find me."

Accepting the 'invitation' he cautiously made his way to the specified tree, keeping alert for any signs of a trap. Passage went without incident. Looking up, he saw no know signs of his arch foe. The tree was thick with foliage which made it difficult for Ron to see some of the rooms. Spotting a low branch not to far away, he decided to use that to get up onto the branches. Climbing the trunk would be some effort for him, but not for Rufus whom he called from his pocket and told him to start climbing. Ron actually did not want to chance that he might hurt his little friend in the likelihood that he would bump that area of his leg during his climb.

He and Rufus began scouting rooms built all around the lower limbs only to find no Monkey Fist. Midway up and a short distance from the center of the giant tree they came upon one with the same monkey that delivered Fisk's message standing before it. The diminutive ninja had been waiting for them. The monkey turned and gestured with a wave for them to follow as it went inside, Ron doing so after Rufus returned to his pocket. For a place in the jungle the room was well kept; much the same as Montgomery Fisk's estate back in England. Ron could see the television Monkey Fist referenced in his letter. Indeed he could see his own back, meaning a camera was behind him.

The little ninja approached an occupied antique armchair then pointed in the direction of Ron and Rufus. A furry hand reached out and waved to dismiss the messenger. Then Fisk rose from his seat wearing his customary black ninja gi and turned to face Ron, placing his arms smartly behind his back.

"I'm so pleased you came, Stoppable," Fisk greeted with a false smile.

"Cut the pleasantries, Monkey Fist. Let's just get on with this so I can find Kim."

"Not here," Fisk replied waving a finger. "We will take this outside where my monkey ninjas have worked diligently to prepare our battleground. Come."

Monkey Fist stepped outside through the door Ron entered, Ron following. While he easily descended the tree using his monkey hands and feet, Ron found a vine and casually made his descent to the ground. From here Monkey Fist led him to an open, grassy spot between the jungle forest and the gorge. The aerial cameras followed as did Fisk's minions.

As Fisk walked ahead of Ron, he turned his head slightly to address Ron. "Ever since you've taken up this quest to find your friend, your skills have proven quite impressive. But you are not yet a master," he stressed. "I'm quite eager to test your abilities." Fisk stopped and turned to face Ron. With a hand he covered his mouth to keep any lip-readers watching this scene from identifying what he next said, audible only to Ron. "And between you and me, I know your own monkey powers made that shield."

Hearing him admit this did not surprise Ron. Of all of Team Possible's adversaries, the secret of his powers were known only to Fisk.

Fisk uncovered his mouth. "Our battle begins here. We fight until one falls, and anything goes. I am well aware you have the Lotus Blade. If I defeat you I'll take it as my victory prize. In the meantime if you feel the need to use it I encourage you to do so because weapons will have a place in my challenge. This entire area is our battleground," he added with a gentle sweep of his right hand. "And while I'm quite familiar with its setup, I will not deny that even I could be caught in a trap." Fisk took a stance. "Are you ready to begin?"

Ron held out a hand. "Just one question," he interjected. "Do you know where Drakken is keeping Kim?"

"I do not, nor do I care."

"Thought so," he stated as he removed his backpack and tossed it aside. "Rufus, out."

Rufus poked his head out from Ron's pocket and looked up questioningly.

"Out of my pocket," ordered Ron casting his eyes downward, "and stay clear of the fight. Besides I need you to keep those monkeys away from my backpack and the Lotus Blade," he added quietly. After Rufus left he assumed a fighting position.

"The lot of you keep out as well!" Fisk ordered his lackeys. They each stepped back in obedience.

Fisk, deciding to make the first move, needed no "come hither" gesture from his opponent who remained still. Charging in he would strike with a simple attack to see if the boy could defend and counter. Contrary to his expectations the punch was not blocked; it connected with Ron's jaw, knocking him to the ground. Fisk had every intention of following through with that attack, but he was certain Ron would have parried it. Why he did not was puzzling.

Ron stood again and rubbed the spot that took the hit. "Okay," he said nodding. "Okay," he repeated before resuming his fighting stance.

Fisk looked at him curiously. "What do you mean by that? And why did you not defend against that attack?"

"I wanted to see how serious you are. Now I know."

Fisk smirked. "And I have so much to bring against you," he said returning to his pose. "We've barely even begun." Ron acknowledged this with a single nod.

Fisk moved in again, repeating his first attack. This time it was blocked, but Ron's counter was not a punch. Quickly locking Fisk's arm in his hands he threw his opponent over his shoulder. Fisk rolled only once and quickly stood back up. Ron charged, intending to land a flying kick, but Fisk stepped to one side and Ron missed. He barely landed when Fisk quickly moved in to strike.

He was not too surprised that his opponent was faring very well while they fought and that he was barely making progress. It was evident from Fisk's efforts that he was not blowing smoke when he said Ron was no master. His Mystical Monkey Power may now be awake, but Monkey Fist was still doing much better. Still he would not give up. Yes his monkey powers are awake, but the one reason to keep going is that Kim is counting on him and he would not let her down. At present Fisk seemed more a master than he did, but the man was not invincible. Like Ron, he was perspiring and panting.

The fight had been moving away from where it started and the cameras moved along with the fighters, ignoring Rufus and the monkeys. Rufus had intended to follow but he noticed that the monkeys began advancing toward him. He realized their apparent intent: use this opportunity to steal the Lotus Blade for their master. Knowing that the Lotus Blade was the most important item in Ron's backpack, he quickly removed it. It seemed he would play a part in this challenge as well. The monkeys could fight but they were not gifted with Mystical Monkey Power like he was. He also knew how to use the Lotus Blade.

The twelve little simians closed in and surrounded him. Holding the weapon in its present form, a nunchaku, Rufus watched them carefully. He did not know if they had an attack pattern, but that mattered very little. His own instincts helped him sense which of his opponents moved first - two of them from his left backside. He spun around, swinging the nunchaku at them and making contact. When the fight intensified with the others charging in, Rufus managed to put some of them down, whereas a few others tried again and again. But it was over soon with Rufus victorious. All the monkeys were out cold.

Now taking the nunchaku, he hauled it with him going in search of Ron and Monkey Fist. The backpack could be recovered later. He found them, having fought their way toward a marsh. Rufus could see bamboo stumps jutting out all over the shallow water. This site had obviously been prepared by Fisk's minions as part of the battleground. Monkey Fist was presently hopping along the stumps out into the marsh away from Ron.

Fisk was out quite a ways, balancing rather exceptionally on the stumps. With one hand presently placed behind his back, he waved with the other. "Care to test your footwork, boy?" he called out invitingly.

Ron carefully set one foot onto one of the stumps then placed his other foot on a second, finding the stumps to be sturdy enough and barely shaking. Learning to balance on these would takes some time, of which he had very little with Monkey Fist only a matter of steps away. With some focus on three essentials - Mystical Monkey Power, dumb skill, and positive thoughts of Kim - he quickly adapted his footing and treading the bamboo became a cinch. Looking at Monkey Fist as he drew closer he could see mild admiration in the eyes of his foe.

Ron now stood an arms length away from Monkey Fist, the impression gone. However the fight would proceed from here, Ron assured himself he would not lose as he continued focusing on the same thoughts that helped him cross the marsh to this point. He would get through this. As Fisk had just done, he shifted his feet to different stumps to adjust his stance.

Monkey Fist initiated this round with an attempted back flip kick. Ron quickly shifted his balance and arched back, avoiding the monkey feet. Fisk landed on two new stumps with his hands, and with a handspring motion he was back on his feet perfectly balanced. Stepping in towards the boy he flailed his arms rhythmically from left to right before attempting a punch. Ron successfully blocked it. Fisk tried again, throwing more than one punch. On the third thrust he succeeded in landing a hit with an open palm against his opponent's chest. Ron was in danger of losing his balance and falling over, and likely being impaled by the bamboo. Fisk merely watched to see what he would do.

Thankfully, Ron did not fall over. His right foot slid from the stump into the water. After a deep breath of relief and taking a moment to re-collect himself, he stepped out of the marsh to shake excess water and muck from his leg. Ready for Fisk again, his opponent came at him intending to punch him, but he parried it and quickly retaliated as the attacker. Although Fisk was able to block most of his punches, some actually hit him. When Fisk was able to attack, he too landed a couple of hits. There was a moment in which Ron succeeded in pulling a leg sweep from which Monkey Fist had quickly sprang back onto his feet.

The fight was moving back towards solid ground. Rufus leapt from stump to stump to keep up with Ron and Monkey Fist. He was very amazed that his human friend fared very well, giving every bit as much as getting, against his adversary. But Fisk pulled a move that practically turned into one of Rufus' many horrors; that he would lose his friend to something awful. Fisk kicked Ron in the face using part of the crane technique. He was knocked off balance very hard and toppled over. A miracle must have saved him because Ron's feet never slipped and his hands both caught a stump of bamboo. He held himself up to keep from being impaled by the stumps beneath him. As awed as he was, Rufus noticed how impressed even Monkey Fist looked.

Rufus then watched Ron stand back up, facing his foe with a new look; one seen a few times before - his serious face. The last time the "serious face" was used, Ron humbled Drakken with it when Bueno Nacho was under that villain's control. His eyes presently bore a look that Rufus hoped was not blood-lust. Monkey Fist seemed unaffected by that expression. Then mysteriously Ron began leaping around on different stumps, huffing with each step, moving in towards Monkey Fist, from one side to another, never losing his footing. After a few more quick steps, he was very near his enemy when he leapt into the air and threw out his foot. A strong and unexpected flying kick against Monkey Fist's chest sent his adversary from the bamboo back onto solid ground. Ron landed without difficulty. He then walked casually from the marsh, stump by stump, just before the man stood back up. Rufus hurried after them.

"Are you ready to quit, Monkey Fist?" Ron asked, rather winded. His serious face had faded to an impassive look.

Fisk, equally breathless and massaging the spot where Ron's foot collided, answered aggressively, "Not yet." Prepared to face Ron again he added, "Your endurance is very admirable, I admit, but we are still not finished."

After a deep sigh and a shake of his head expressing his annoyance, Ron's fight with Monkey Fist resumed despite their exhaustion. This round moved to a grassy field.

Monkey Fist soon had Ron on his back after flipping him over by getting the boy into a hand-lock, placing his foot against Ron's ribcage, falling backwards and jerking his leg which then sent the boy to the ground. After rolling over to his hands and knees he turned to face Ron, and in doing so spotted a wooden staff lying nearby. Deciding it was time to finish his adversary he went and picked it up.

After recovering from the impact, Ron watched him get up and walk away. A slight gasp escaped him when he saw what Monkey Fist held. After standing he looked around, but saw no other weapon and realized that Fisk had the only one. _"Wait!"_ he cried to himself. He realized he had been so focused on his fight with Monkey Fist that he had forgotten about the Lotus Blade. This thought had him distracted so, that he nearly forgot about his armed opponent - and the staff that nearly hit him. His growing senses saved him and he dodged it. All he could do was dodge until chance aided him or fate finished him.

Hope was rekindled when he heard the slightest sound of familiar chatter. Ron thanked his Maker that Rufus had followed. Stealing a moment to look, he saw that his little buddy had with him the Lotus Blade and thanked his Maker again. Rufus threw it while it was still in nunchaku form. Even though his accuracy had been off and because Ron had to keep moving to avoid being hit by Monkey Fist, with Ron's monkey powers the Lotus Blade was still caught by its master. The mole rat cheered. Ron quickly transformed the nunchaku into his own staff and halted a near hit from Monkey Fist.

Though they were once again evenly matched, Fisk was certain of victory. He knew where they were and that here his adversary would fall. Ever the villain and dirty fighter, after there was some distance between them Fisk pulled out from his uniform a set of shuriken. He grinned at the sight of Ron's dismay. Dropping his staff he reached for more shuriken. Even if some could be avoided, Fisk was certain Ron could not avoid them all. He was wrong. Some missed and others were deflected by the Lotus Blade's staff form. But Ron was now standing close enough to where Fisk wanted him and he still had three shuriken remaining. Picking up his staff again with his left hand, Fisk held the last of his throwing stars between his right fingers. Then he threw them and quickly charged the boy, who leapt away from the first half of the assault. Before Ron could fully stand up, Fisk used a sweeping motion with his staff to knock Ron over.

The aerial cameras that had continued following them and transmitting this intense fight to the world, captured Ron tumbling down into a pit, one he would not have seen as it had been concealed behind tall grass. The pit was wide and deep, the surrounding wall full of rocks and crevices. The cameras captured Monkey Fist approaching the edge of the pit, even Rufus who decided to hurry down the wall to reach his friend.

Had his fall been a straight drop, he might have been unconscious. Thankfully he was not, but his body certainly ached. After opening his eyes, Ron managed to slowly sit up, supporting himself with his hands. Looking about at his surroundings, he caught sight of Rufus coming to him and smiled. He managed to stand. Rufus climbed up onto his left shoulder and snuggled against his cheek.

"Glad to see you're still with me, little buddy," he said, patting the mole rat.

Ron then looked around for a way out of the pit. As his head pivoted from right to left in his search, he never had the chance to register the sight of horror as scores of darts launched from the crevices of the wall ahead of him, piercing him and Rufus all over. Both fell dead.

But that did not happen. Rufus was on his shoulder, certainly, but that moment seemed too real. Following the rush of a bad feeling, Ron quickly stuffed Rufus into his pocket. And not a moment to soon as darts _did_ launch.

"NO!" he cried in desperation, throwing both arms out before him.

* * *

This action was a mystery to the world. But then they saw a most inexplicable thing. After seeing thin clouds of dust appear at the pit wall, their attention was then drawn to the multitude of objects frozen around Ron which were instantly recognized as darts. They hovered about him in an arc, vertical as a wall. When last he defended himself against an incoming attack, a he was protected by a mysterious shield. This time there was nothing. All those projectiles had just... stopped. 

All around the world, mouths hung open in astonishment. Countless numbers of speechless people all wondered the same thing: "Since when can he do _that_?"

There was but one verbal addition to this thought. "Whoa. Eat your heart out Neo," remarked Shego.

Drakken turned sharply to her. "Shego... Go file your nails!" he snapped.

Kim could only wonder, "Could it be? Are his monkey powers really... _real_?"

* * *

Ron had not even a chance to close his eyes before they all launched. It was a surprise even to him that the darts were stopped. As he let his arms drop to his sides, every dart fell to the ground. He watched as they landed and just looked at them. 

Rufus, who poked his head out from his pocket sanctuary when this happened, now looked up at Ron, completely amazed. But no one could have been more stupefied than Monkey Fist. He was completely speechless. Involuntarily his hand dropped the staff. He fell to his knees. Never had he seen such an ability displayed by anyone.

Shuffling from around him drew Ron from his awed state. All the monkeys, now conscious, had climbed down into the pit and now stood before him. Leaning forward, they bowed, recognizing Ron as their master and turning their backs on Lord Montgomery Fisk.

An enraged Monkey Fist stood up. "One day, Stoppable!" he cried. "One day I shall defeat you, and claim my place in this world as Supreme Monkey Ruler!" He turned and was seen no more.

Ron thought of what he should say to these humbled simians. "Uh, guys. I appreciate that you've given up on your former master. But whatever it is you intend to pledge yourselves to... I release you before you can swear to it. I'm not looking to become anyone's master. I just want to find my friend Kim. I'm going to leave now," he said turning around. "Don't follow me." He walked to the pit wall and climbed out. Beginning his journey back towards the jet he looked down at Rufus. "Are they following?"

Rufus looked. "Uh-uh," he answered.

* * *

"_I gotta admit, he's _really_ good,"_ thought Shego. She kept to herself the fraction of admiration she began to feel about Stoppable's skills. Her thoughts were disrupted by Drakken's first comment in minutes. 

"_That_ was a complete waste of time," he noted, shaking his head.

Shego spoke up. "Tell you what, Doctor D. Why don't you just put an end to this and execute your plan to take over the world?" she pressed.

She thought from his silence that he was considering her suggestion. But his expression went grim. _"No,"_ he said firmly, not even looking at her. "He thinks he's all _that_, but he's _not_." He was quiet again and began to think. An evil smile slowly formed. "Oh he's good. But he's not _that_ good."

His cryptic remark puzzled Shego. "Boss?"

Drakken pressed a button. One of the screens switched to a new room within the lair.

"Yes, sir?" stated a henchman onscreen.

"Wake them," Drakken ordered. Then after contacting Wade, Drakken was transferred to Ron. "Are you familiar with the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?" Without giving Ron a chance to answer, he continued. "Go there for one more challenge, and then _maybe_ I'll tell you where I'm holding your precious girlfriend."

* * *

_Neo - With respects to the Wachowski Brothers and 'The Matrix.'_

Read and Review. Thank you.


	6. On Top of the World

Chapter 6 – On Top of the World

* * *

Although it was left behind, the Louts Blade was not forgotten. From the path on his way back to the jet Ron gave a mental command that the weapon, that as of this fight had twice served its master, return to Yamanouchi. Restoring itself to sword form, the weapon vanished from the pit where it had lain.

He believed it when Drakken spoke of another challenge. He doubted, however, that Drakken _would_ tell him where he was holding Kim after this next challenge ended. But Ron would still find her somehow.

Returning to the location where he discarded his backpack he picked it up. Before putting the backpack on, from it he pulled out the Kimmunicator. He then called Wade to ask how he was going to get to Kuala Lumpur. Wade informed him that the flight plan has already been programmed into the jet's navigation system. Wade also arranged to have another tanker aircraft rendezvous with and refuel the jet once it was out over the Indian Ocean.

After putting away the Kimmunicator Ron resumed a weary trek to his ride. Stealthily racing ahead of him, Drakken's cameras boarded and took to individual hiding spots. The rest of the world would have an hours-long intermission, but Drakken ensured that one of the cameras captured Stoppable so that he alone could monitor the boy's activities until he arrived in Malaysia; they would remain undiscovered.

Once aboard his jet Ron ascended the stairwell which retracted after he was aboard. Then the hatch closed. It would be a few hours before his next landing which meant he could rest, something he was suddenly looking forward to. He had only gotten a little rest after taking off from Greece. Not since his first journey to Yamanouchi back during the student exchange program had he worked his way about so much terrain; _that_ was just walking and carrying some luggage. Today it was walking, climbing, balancing, fighting, dodging, and to top it all off that stunt to stop all those darts. Not even missions with Kim had been this trying. _So_ much of his energy had been spent during the past number of hours, but it was worth it if it meant finding her.

After the jet was finally airborne Ron went to clean up and change into new mission gear. He then decided it was time to get some sleep. He was about to lie down when a voice called him. "Stoppable-san." The voice was Sensei's. The elderly apparition appeared, levitating in his usual meditative position.

Ron greeted him from where he sat on his sleep station. "What's up?"

"I am here only long enough to advise you that after your rest you meditate and also practice to further condition your skills. With each trial you pass your adversary will only make the next trial more difficult."

"More like keep them going which is what he seems to be doing."

"That is true. But I believe your quest will end before long. Farewell until next time, Stoppable-san."

Before the old man could vanish Ron stopped him. "Sensei!" The apparition remained and waited for him to go on. "Can you tell me anything that will help against my next opponent?"

"Yes," Sensei added as his image dissolved. "Be careful." Then he was gone.

Ron had expected better advice than that. At the least, something that would tell him about his opponent. _'Cryptic as usual,'_ he thought as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Later, Sensei," he wearily added out loud. Ron then instructed the pilot to wake him in three hours. Then he lay down to sleep. Rufus curled up nearby to do the same.

* * *

Drakken scratched his head. "Who was he talking to?" He could hear Ron speaking, but knew not who he was speaking to. "Who is Sensei?" The camera that captured Ron saw only him, the mole rat, and the robotic pilot. There was no one else there.

* * *

The broadcast of Ron ended after the Kuala Lumpur challenge was issued. For those who had been watching or listening, they went back to their usual routine - returning to work or school, or getting some sleep – until the next time he would be televised. When peopled talked, by way of media or neighborhood gossip, a major topic was of the Team Stoppable fights. There were those who talked of the events as being the greatest reality TV show to date and those who protested it because someone's life was placed in real danger. Romantics saw something else, and many talked dreamily of how much Ron and Kim must mean to each other that he would put himself in great danger to find her.

Gamblers had been taking advantage of the challenges. Bets were being placed on whether Stoppable would win or lose, live or die. Further, wagers were made even beyond the upcoming fight in Kuala Lumpur. People bet on whether or not Ron would find Kim Possible.

* * *

Kim turned her monitor off when the broadcast ended just after Drakken ordered Ron to go to the Petronas Towers. Hoping that Ron would be okay and would get some rest before he arrived in Malaysia, Kim then decided to work off some restlessness and apprehension by practicing some kung fu and cheer routines.

As her workout progressed she began to think about Ron and his abilities and her current situation. With what has mysteriously happened to Ron she began to wonder if their roles would be switching, because now it was she who had become the captive. When they first began, she was the hero and he the sidekick; she was the knight and he the damsel in distress. (_"And yet he still got the girl,"_ she heard from the back of her mind.) Now here she is, Maid Kimberly in the dragon's lair waiting for Prince Ronald the First to rescue her.

Kim stopped her routine and shook her head to dismiss those thoughts. "No, not anymore. There's no more hero or sidekick station. We're more than a team, we're a _couple_, for Pete's sake!" That reminder made her smile. They _are_ girlfriend and boyfriend, yes, but it is a partner coming to rescue a partner. Feeling much better, she decided she had done enough and decided to rest for a while until Ron arrived in Malaysia.

* * *

Shego's thoughts were also on Ron Stoppable. Presently Drakken had no need of her assistance so she was out in the cavern walking alone. The one thing about the boy that intrigued her, the one thing she was anxious to see, was what his newest maneuver would be; what new stunt he would be capable of.

* * *

Because he is a very dear friend to her, Yori felt that going to Malaysia before Ron was the right thing to do. This Doctor Drakken never said that Ron could not have help, so, without Sensei's permission or knowledge, she prepared for the journey to help her friend. Even if anyone at Yamanouchi suspected she might go, especially Sensei, no one barred her departure. Dressed in civilian attire, Yori hastened to the nearest airport to take the earliest available plane to Malaysia.

She arrived at the towers at dusk. Initially uncertain where to go, she closed her eyes and thought of Ron, gently touching her forehead with her right-hand fingertips. Yori knew his skills were progressing, and after fighting on a battleground such as the last, she wondered what could possibly prove an even more difficult setting. When she finally realized the only possible location her eyes opened and she looked upward, openmouthed, her face coming away from her hand, to the Skybridge above. Her eyes widened in horror and her breathing turned shaky with dread. She did not fear heights. She feared for Ron, realizing that he would be fighting one hundred and seventy meters above the ground; that he could fall to his death if his opponent was deadly and more powerful than he. She would not believe there was anyone better than him, but his opponent had to be very skilled to go against him up there. He just might need her help with this one.

Yori hurried inside to the Tower 1 lobby. Security verified that the contents of her backpack were non-threatening and let her in. She hurried to the forty-second floor, entered a lavatory, and changed into her ninja gi. After finding her way to the Skybridge rooftop – she cared not if she set off alarms that would summon security – the teen ninja stepped cautiously forward in the direction of Tower 2, keeping alert. She was relieved that for the present the wind was calm, even if a strong gust could happen along at any time. She looked all around; there was no movement. She listened; there was no sound but the wind. Yori was certain she had come to the right location where Ron would face his opponent. Perhaps it was Ron this opponent was waiting for.

There was one way to draw out such a person. "I am Yori of Yamanouchi!" she announced, taking a defiant stance. "I challenge the one who waits for Stop-" Yori interrupted herself. She would say his full name for the purpose of this challenge. "Ron Stoppable!" Her outcry received no response.

Then, faster than the girl could blink, something took her.

* * *

From his lair Drakken heard the challenge. Looking at the monitor that showed the Skybridge rooftop he saw the teen girl. He knew not who she was nor did he care where she might have come from. But she mentioned Ron's name and offered to fight in the boy's absence.

"So, the buffoon has allies," Drakken noted. He picked up a transmitter. "Capture her," he ordered, figuring that another captured friend of the boy's, right there on location, might make for a good handicap. Drakken watched as she was quickly seized.

* * *

Ron's sleep was disrupted by the repeated sensation of tapping on his forehead. After finally opening his eyes, he slowly became aware of Rufus being responsible for the wakeup call. "I'm up," he wearily said to the mole rat and slowly sat up.

He turned towards the cockpit when he heard the robotic pilot speak. "I did attempt to wake you as instructed, Mr. Stoppable. The mole rat was the first to awaken which then proceeded to physically wake you when you would not respond."

"I guess I was more tired than I thought," Ron replied while stretching. He then stood and went up to look out through the cockpit windows to find that nighttime was on the eastern horizon. "Where are we?"

"We are currently flying over the Andaman Sea, forty eight kilometers north of Sumatra and five hundred and fifty-five kilometers from the Malaysian coastline. While you rested," the pilot went on, "the jet was replenished with J200 rocket fuel. Mr. Load also alleged you would be hungry, so he placed an order from Bueno Nacho for you."

Both Ron and Rufus gasped and looked at the pilot. "Really?" Ron eagerly asked.

The pilot pressed a button on the console to its left. Ron and Rufus' attention was drawn by the sound of a compartment door opening from the jet's midsection. A large tray slid out from the compartment. The duo quickly went to see what had been delivered. "Mr. Load was unsure of what you would prefer, so he had several choices sent," the pilot explained.

Before them were several plates, each piled with nacos, queseridos, chimeritos, some tortada salad, chips and extra cheese, and drinks. Gladly did they eat, but remembering Sensei's instructions Ron ensured he would not overeat, although Rufus helped himself to as much as he could stomach. As they ate, a call from Wade reported there was no positive identity on any opponent at the towers as there were still a great number of occupants in both buildings and pedestrians passing through the fifty eight meters long Skybridge that connected the two buildings. What was not eaten was then sealed and saved for later, for there would likely come another challenge.

Feeling replenished, Ron decided to let his stomach settle as he began his meditation, letting go of the past hours of stress to both mind and body. Once that was done and he was feeling much better, he decided to train and condition himself with part of the forty six minutes that remained before landing. Rufus joined him, doing his own routine. When the pilot reported they would be on the ground in ten minutes, both stopped in order to use that time to relax from working out.

After the jet was granted authorization to land in Malaysia and the jet came to a stop, Ron deplaned with Rufus and took a train to the towers. Drakken's cameras followed suit, going active to re-broadcast Team Stoppable en route to the latest battleground. Once at the brightly lit Petronas Towers after nearly thirty minutes of travel Ron entered the lobby of Tower 1. A transmission from Drakken instructed Ron to go up to the Skybridge on the forty-second floor where his latest adversary awaited him, along with a surprise. Ron was hopeful it would be Kim, but Wade reported that there was no bio-DNA readout indicating that she was even in the city.

Having arrived at the forty-second floor, Ron went to the Skybridge tunnel. Pulling out his Kimmunicator he contacted Drakken. "Okay, I'm here. Where's my opponent?"

Smirking, Drakken raised an index finger and waved it cockily. "Uh, uh, uhhh." He stopped waving his finger but kept it pointing upward. Then he tilted his head back and cast his eyes upward.

It took but a second for Ron to follow suit, realizing that Drakken wanted him to do the same. Ron huffed and his shoulders sank. Drakken wanted him outside on the bridge roof. He looked back down at the Kimmunicator screen and Drakken nodded, confirming what the boy surmised.

"Don't worry. The sensors have long been disabled, so you won't set off any alarms," Drakken explained. "That's why security never came to rescue an acquaintance of yours who presently awaits you out there." With a grin and a twitch of his brow, he bade Ron farewell with, "Have fun," and his image went away before Ron could ask what he meant.

Setting his backpack down, Ron went out, despite Wade's warning that it was beginning to get windy outside.

* * *

Pleas from those such as Ron's parents, and even the Possibles, went pointlessly out to Ron when all they were doing was shouting at their television screens for him to not go outside.

* * *

He stepped out onto the roof to find that the wind had picked up, but it was not dangerously strong. The meditation had certainly been helpful, for he was not driven to dizziness and panic from being so high up. Looking around he saw no one waiting to fight him no matter which way he looked. But Drakken had also mentioned an 'acquaintance,' yet nobody but he was there on the roof. Ron was alone with Rufus, who remained in his designated pocket.

At a moment when the wind calmed to near silence, Ron's ears heard a different sound. A muffled sound. It came from ahead of him. Taking a couple of steps forward and searching, his eyes found a darkly dressed figure… gagged and tied to the side of the Skybridge! He was now close enough and there was just enough light for him to realize, to his wide-eyed shock, that it was Yori.

Ron ran toward her, intent on pulling her up to safety and freeing her. He barely closed the distance between them when something long hit the roof of the bridge right in front of him, forcing Ron to quickly halt and jump back in surprise. He looked at the thing and then upward. It extended from the roof all the way to something clinging to the outer wall of the Tower 1 twin. It looked strangely human. Ron was unsure he knew who or what that could be. But when he caught the red-lit eyes, something in his memory clicked. It was a Bebe! She retracted her metallic arm and climbed down to the bridge roof, and seconds after was joined by two others. The first one stood beside her and the other behind Ron.

The one behind him moved, stepping forward. Ron turned a quarter of the way to his right so that he could keep alert of the two Bebes to his left and the third to his right. The third was the closest, no more than fifteen meters away. But distance was irrelevant. These mechanical femme fatales were very fast. And they could contort and extend their limbs in ways that could make their movements, without a doubt, unpredictable. How could he keep up? How would he beat them?

At a moment when Ron turned from the two at his left to the one at his right, the second Bebe to appear on the bridge charged and stood before Ron in a heartbeat. He felt the motion and flinched when he saw her right there. Composure regained, he attempted to hit her using punching and kicking combinations, but as he suspected she twisted her figure to avoid every move. As fast as he tried to be, she was faster. This had to be very amusing to Drakken.

There were sounds coming from Rufus' pocket. Ron's leg movements had obviously been discomforting for the mole rat, and the little guy might be hurting. Ron held out his hands in the directions of both ends of the bridge, gesturing for a momentary ceasefire. The Bebes held their positions. He pulled Rufus from his pocket, holding him gently in his gloved hands and apologizing. While he comforted his friend he began thinking. If that last technique that had come to him so suddenly in the jungle was able to stop darts, he hoped it would work in holding them back until they wore down or broke themselves. Closing his eyes, he breathed and focused and concentrated on developing the energy for the shield. Then, feeling ready, he set Rufus down and told him to get over by Yori and stay with her. Rufus complied and after the mole rat was safely out of the way, Ron stood to face the single Bebe and gave her a come hither gesture with his right hand.

By Drakken's command she obliged him. The Bebe charged forward. Ron's speed matched hers and in a blink his hands went up. But she never touched him. She collided into and bounced off of something unseen, less than ten centimeters from his palms. Ron felt the impact, too, flinching at the contact. He realized that this was still a new technique, and until he fully mastered and became accustomed to it he was taking a great risk that this might get more stressful than he was ready for.

And it did become more than he could handle. With one mind the Bebes analyzed the incident and calculated. With an increase in speed and force, plus another one of them, he would not be able to hold two of them back. A second strike would end him. With synchronized movements the two Bebes together repeated the charge. Ron repeated his move, but the impact was so intense that it felt as if his shield was used against him like a pinball plunger launching the ball. And just like a pinball caught in a magnetic trap, an airborne Ron was caught by the third Bebe, whose arms extended several meters to grab him. Her arms retracted, bringing closer to her form a gravely disoriented Ron Stoppable.

Upon receiving an order from Drakken, Bebe Number 3 complied and threw Ron from the bridge. Ron's mind cleared in time to see himself get cast away. Yori, tied and helpless, could do nothing but bear witness in horror to the sudden plummeting of the one she could only ever love as a friend. All the world watched as he fell, further and further into the darkness, his cries fading away to silence.

* * *

From their home the Stoppables cried; their only child was gone. From their home the Possibles cried; a brave and noble young man was gone. From her cell Kim cried; her boyfriend was gone.

Drakken, too, cried… in victory. "Booya!" And he danced a jig.

Shego felt a twinge of disappointment, for she had hoped to see Stoppable try some new move.

Drakken's celebration was cut short at the sound of a new cry. "Stoppable-san!" That was no cry of despair. It was the sound of someone jubilant - the ninja girl tied to the Skybridge. He looked at the monitor and just could not believe what he was seeing.

The world, including those who were mourning, could only stare at their screens, jaw-dropped and dumbstruck at the floating figure surrounded by a blue glow. The ninja girl smiled, relieved that Ron was still alive, and feeling honored to be the first to witness in person his newest ability.

"Surprised?" everyone heard him call out to the Bebes. "I'll bet you are!" The world certainly was.

Tears that were of mourning turned to tears of joy and relief.

Mrs. Stoppable looked her husband. "Honey, that's our boy." She hugged him tightly and repeated happily, "_That's our boy!_"

With his arms around his wife, he smiled proudly. "That's our boy."

"That's our boy!" said an overjoyed Mrs. Dr. P, holding her husband. He agreed.

Jim and Tim, high-fived. "Hicka-bicka-boo. Hoosha!"

Once she had finally settled down from her astonishment, Kim lay back on her cot, resting her head against her hands, and smiled. "That's my Ron."

There was but one question that could only be on the minds of everyone else around the world. _"Since when can he do __**that**__?!"_

Steve Barkin, who at times was a thorn to Ron, but who also had a decent side to him, could not help but smile. "Way to go, Stoppable." And he honored the boy with a salute.

* * *

During his decent Ron stopped screaming, and then stopped his limbs from flailing about. Curling up and balling his fists, he closed his eyes and focused. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" He could feel it. With a little more determination from within, a blue-lighted field came to life. His fall slowed and with control he stopped. Opening his eyes he could see how it surrounded him. It framed his form, unlike the one Sensei had which encased him in a sphere. And the sensation he felt. He felt reenergized. He felt reborn.

Images appeared, presences Ron neither saw nor sensed. It was a levitating Sensei joined by the little Oracle and his shoulder-mounted monkey. The two looked at each other and high-fived.

Ron sighed with relief. "Thank you, Sensei." In his head the old master welcomed him.

He was wowed at seeing how close he had come to his death. He was just over twenty meters from the ground. Looking up, he then drifted skyward towards the bridge for a rematch with the Bebes, to free Yori, and finally demand Drakken tell him where he is hiding.

After his surprise return, Ron looked away from the Bebes and found the hovering cameras floating in the air all around him. He could not help but smile when an urge pressed at him and there was only one way to quell it. As he hovered he raised his arms and waved them at the cameras, crying out, "Hi Mom!" And then he could not help but laugh imagining everyone who watched him do that falling over floored. Then he landed on the bridge, with the blue aura still surrounding him.

Ron looked at the Bebe that threw him from the bridge. "You. Care to try that again?"

Bebe Number 3 charged him. It was over in a blink. Her body came away from her head when Ron brought a foot up in a roundhouse kick. Sparks flew as both parts of the robot fell to the roof. Ron was ready for the next one as Bebe Number 1 charged. A hole opened up from her sternum through and out her back as his fist penetrated her metallic torso. The red in her eyes faded, thus indicating that she was lifeless. Ron pulled his arm out and let the weight drop to the roof.

"_I'm glad these are just machines,"_ he thought. _"I wouldn't wish this done to any human."_

Keeping himself encased in his blue aura, Ron prepared for the last Bebe. He found her holding a still bound Yori in the air over the edge of the bridge. Yori looked at him but she show no signs of fear. No matter what he was about to do, she trusted that he would let nothing happen to her. He realized this when she gave the faintest of nods. Ron called out for Rufus. The mole rat scurried out from the shadows and back to Ron who held his pocket open. Ron then went to collect his backpack. Finally he stepped over to the edge of the Skybridge, the same side over which Yori was being held, and, without a word, leapt off.

The Bebe looked over to see what might have become of him. And by the time Drakken's cameras repositioned themselves to locate him, Ron had come up from the opposite side of the bridge behind the Bebe, knocking her from the bridge with Yori.

Ron hurried and leapt after them. As they all fell towards the ground, Ron caught up with them, grabbed the Bebe's wrist and pried her fingers open to release her hold of Yori. Ron grabbed onto Yori's ropes, kicked the Bebe away from them and increased the power of his aura to support both him and Yori. They slowed to a hover as the Bebe crashed to the ground.

In a broken tone, the Bebe's final words before termination were, "Since when can he do that?"

After touching down, Ron let his aura vanish before he untied Yori. "Are you alright?"

Yori wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I am thanks to you, Stoppable-san." He returned the gesture.

After letting her go, he pulled out his Kimmunicator, called Wade and was transferred to Drakken. "No more challenges, Drakken. Give me back my girlfriend."

Drakken, flustered, answered after a moment, "Forget it. I don't know what's happened to you, but you were never supposed to be this good. You have _never_ been this good!"

Ron's grip on the Kimmunicator tightened. "Tell me where you are!"

"Stoppable-san." Ron looked at Yori. She leaned in towards his ear and whispered. "You have a very special bond with Kim. You can find her without radio contact. It is from inside you that you must reach out to her. Do that and you will find not only her but the way to her."

He considered her words. So much has happened to him since his fight with the synthodrones, all thanks to that vision and the awakening of his monkey powers. And this last feat proved he was capable of so much. Ron believed her and decided to try. He looked at Drakken again. "I'm done talking to you. I'll find her. And I'll find you."

"Is that so?" Drakken scoffed. "How?"

Ron ignored him and shut the Kimmunicator off. He then looked up at the cameras that had followed him during his decent. He had enough of being watched. Gathering his energy again, he restored the blue aura. He then raised his right arm and closed his fist. At the same time all the cameras crumbled and dropped to the ground. That would undoubtedly anger Drakken, but tough. And the world would just have to wait to see him when the mission was over.

He pulled Rufus from his pocket and handed the mole rat to Yori before sitting on the ground. Crossing his legs and closing his eyes, Ron took a breath and relaxed. He thought of Kim, their long-time friendship, their missions, and at last their coupling at the prom. He felt as though he was being lifted skyward, although physically he remained sitting. He passed over cities, bodies of water, and numerous landscapes. Once over the panhandle of a single landmass surrounded by water he descended, and then continued onward, rapidly drifting through a forest, into a cave opening, through and down a rocky passage into a grand cavern with an impressive-looking fortress. He continued forward, through doors, along hallways, and down an elevator shaft until he saw himself before several doors. Onward Ron was carried, passing through one of them where he discovered Kim Possible lying on a cot.

Ron knew she could not see him, but hoped she would hear him. _"KP."_

To her, his voice sounded so real she actually responded. "Ron?"

"_Shh. Don't say anything that might alert Drakken, just listen. I'm here, in a way, but not really here. I want you to know that I know where you are now, and I'm coming for you. I'll be there soon. Trust me."_

Ron broke his connection with her and felt himself return to Kuala Lumpur. He opened his eyes. After standing up, he looked at Yori and told her he found Kim. He then pulled the Kimmunicator back out and called Wade. "Wade, is it possible Drakken is able to track me?"

"I suppose. Why?"

"There's only one way he could be, and I want to lose it."

Wade understood that Ron meant the chip. "It's inside your right glove."

Ron removed his glove and threw it in a trashcan. He had another pair on the jet. Looking back to Wade, he said, "I'm going for Kim, now. I know where she is. I'll contact you again, soon." He ended his transmission before Wade could say more.

Taking Yori's hands in his he said, "Thanks, Yori. You're the best."

Yori bowed. "Until we meet again, Stoppable-san."

"Uh, uh." He grinned. "Call me Ron-san."

She, too, smiled and gave him one more hug before he and Rufus left.

Read and review. Thank you.


	7. Bad Road

Chapter 7 – Bad Road

* * *

After Ron left, Yori went back inside Tower 1 to retrieve her belongings. Once she had them and left she found a secluded area. Here she decided to contact Sensei.

She sat and crossed her legs, closed her eyes and placed her palms together near her chest, fingers and thumbs side by side and pointing skyward. Breathing deep and rhythmically, inhaling through the nose and exhaling from her mouth, she concentrated.

The darkness behind her closed eyes soon formed an image, becoming the familiar interior of the Yamanouchi dojo. Save for the appearance of Sensei, the room was vacant. His eyelids were always so narrow one might not be sure they were open or closed, but she knew he could see her.

"There is something you wish to say, Yori?" He did not sound angry, only inquisitive.

She looked down at the floor. "I apologize, Sensei," she stated softly.

"There is no need to apologize for wanting to help a friend, Yori. Your departure is understandable."

"That is not what I mean, Sensei. I apologize for my failure. The enemy of Team Possible sent machines to fight Stoppable-san and I was unprepared."

Sensei remained passive and understanding. "Yori, the enemy of Team Possible only resorted to such measures out of desperation. Such men as he are even willing to risk ending the world just to win."

The ninja girl now looked up, giving the old sage her full attention.

"You are a good and brave warrior, Yori," he continued. "You wanted to help Stoppable-san, and you challenged the enemy in his place, even though you knew not what was waiting for him. And he was most glad to know you were unharmed. Please, do not chastise yourself any further and return to Yamanouchi."

She bowed, respectfully, feeling a little better. "Yes, Sensei." The vision of her master and the school faded.

* * *

Drakken was alone in a quiet room, pacing about. _"Could he really do it?"_ Drakken asked himself once again since Ron Stoppable ended his transmission. At first he did not believe it, but after considering what the boy had recently accomplished... Suddenly taking over the world was not the priority, but rather how he would deal with the sidekick _if_ he really did find the lair. Before leaving the watch center for the quiet room, Drakken ordered his henchmen on watch to be alert for any approaching aircraft that was non-military and non-commercial.

Every one of Drakken's spy-cams was destroyed; not one was left. Drakken realized only too late what a mistake that was, but who could have anticipated that Stoppable would suddenly develop supernatural powers and destroy them all? Now Drakken no longer had a way of visually monitoring him. Not only that, but the tracking chip had not moved from where Stoppable was last known to be by the towers in Kuala Lumpur, and that was a few hours ago. The boy could be anywhere now, even on his way. Drakken knew he could not deny that.

And his Bebes. They were supposed to be perfect. He had come a long way with their creation: from the days they were prototypes in college to their advanced design when Drakken used them to kidnap his old, so-called college "buddies," including whom he thought was James Possible, but turned out to be the sidekick in disguise. He had built another set of them, ones designed to move faster than a person could blink and impervious to hypersonic emissions, but they somehow vanished. He never knew what became of them until he heard something about assembly line robberies. Kim Possible stopped even them.

The most recent models had seemingly proved successful. They had captured the teen heroine. They should have also beaten Stoppable, but that buffoon turned into something Drakken never imagined - some kind of superhero. He was swift, he could fly, he had some inexplicable powers, and suddenly the strength to pulverize two of the Bebes with one strike each.

Drakken realized he would have to remain cautious, but just the same he hoped Stoppable would not find the lair.

Shego was elsewhere, training, along with numerous off-duty henchmen and synthrodrones. They were all going to need preparation in the chance Stoppable does find the lair. They rotated between hand-to-hand techniques and weapons of choice, as well as numbers ranging from one-on-one to teams to battle royals. To ensure their battle readiness, Shego did not go easy on the henchmen. While she remained superior to them in performance, several of them fought quite well.

Personally, Shego felt the need to work off some frustration - because Drakken just _had _to take this challenge as far as he did. If asked, she would not deny that she felt excitement at the thought of actually confronting Stoppable; a feeling unlike any she has had even when she would oppose Kim, for he has reached a whole different level than anyone she has ever fought with or against. But this new level also troubled her. She has never actually beaten Kim in a fight, and most of that can be credited to being aided by Stoppable. Had it not been for his customary clumsiness, no doubt a time would have been that she would finally beat Kim. And now that he has powers of his own, Shego actually felt uncertain that she could beat him. This thought, along with trying to convince herself that she can and must win, drove her to fighting with more vigor than the henchmen.

Their training session was disrupted at the sound of an alert followed by Drakken's command. "Red alert! All hands report to the watch center immediately! I say again, all hands report to the watch center immediately!"

Despite being winded and bruised, they all hurried to the watch center as they all heard Drakken shout, "Fire!"

The henchmen reported to their respective posts. Shego went to stand by Drakken, whose attention was fully on the monitors ahead.

"What's going on, Doc?"

"Stoppable is what's going on," he said bitterly from his seat. "Just a few kilometers off the coast, and dangerously within radar range, a blip just suddenly appeared on the monitors. It hasn't changed course, so there is no doubt it's him."

"So he does know where we are," Shego said, looking up from Drakken to the monitors. She saw the green inbound blip. There were also numerous outbound blips. "What are those?"

He smiled as he continued watching the radar screen. "I just ordered a missile launch. At this very moment two dozen rockets are headed right for him. There is no way Stoppable will avoid them all," he added confidently.

"Are you letting the rest of the world see this?" she asked looking back at him.

"Not a live picture. After we've shot him down I will show the world his demise."

"Sir, we have impact!" cried one henchman from his console. At this everyone looked up at the monitor.

"No, wait!" declared another. "We still have incoming!"

Eleven blips remained that were the missiles and continued out to sea. The reported impact could only mean that the lost missiles somehow hit each other. The single blip that could only be Ron's jet continued on its approach to Iceland.

Drakken huffed angrily and slammed a fist on the arm of his chair. To another henchman he cried. "Fire up the mega-weather generator! I want heavy fog _**and**_ a typhoon hammering down on him!"

Computer commands were entered. Moments later the clear skies displayed on the monitors dissolved to grayness. Heavy winds picked up and rain poured. Images of land and sea on the monitors dissolved away in the fog. The radar screen was also affected. The blip that was the jet was being swallowed in a sea of bright green haze.

Before the blip was lost, Drakken ordered, "Get the bearings and the trajectory on the jet and fire another round of missiles!"

Several henchmen went to work to collect the needed data. After several seconds passed a command was typed in and a button pushed. "Missiles away!" someone cried. This time forty missiles were launched, heading straight towards the continuing inbound blip just as it finally blended in with the weather's interference.

They all counted on this working. With the fog there was no way Stoppable could see them, which means he cannot dodge them all. Plus the strength of the storm would bring his jet down. Drakken wanted to believe this, but he decided on one more tactic if some miracle brought Stoppable through this. He ordered for the sonic annihilator to be brought online.

There was no confirmation of a splash - that the jet was shot down - after several seconds passed. The storm and the fog had been contained to a perimeter that did not extend too far inland. And to everyone's dismay, from out of the fog and the storm flew that accursed jet and its passenger.

The very next word out of a very unhappy Drakken was, "**Fire!**" As the order was carried out he looked at the jet on the monitors and silently added, "Dodge this."

All watched as the jet was destroyed by sonic energy. Fiery remains of the aircraft plummeted to the ground. There was no indication that Stoppable had ejected. Drakken was satisfied with the certainty that his enemy was finally history. It was time that the world knew.

Global broadcasting was reestablished. "Kim Possible and people of the world. I, Doctor Drakken, have a very special announcement to make. Moments ago rising teen hero Ron Stoppable was shot down while passing over Iceland. Behold." Video footage showed the jet's exit from the fog and storm and its destruction. He wanted to imagine the looks of horror on everyone's faces and to enjoy seeing Kim's devastation, but he would not.

"Wait!" It was Shego. "Roll that back!"

"Shego, what are you doing?!" demanded Drakken.

She started to approach the monitor the feed was displayed on. "I thought I saw something, and I just want to be sure."

"I can assure you he did not eject."

"Don't be so sure of that, Doc." To one of the henchmen, she repeated. "Roll it back." It was done. Seconds before the jet exploded, she ordered, "Stop!"

From this still the jet was tilted a bit, its underside exposed. Certain of what she saw, Shego pointed it out. There was an opening beneath the cockpit. It was evident that Stoppable had definitely ejected before the jet left the fog.

Drakken was outraged, especially because his broadcast to the world had continued while this discovery was made. Certain now that the boy would find the lair - if he got this far, there was no doubt - he ordered the broadcast terminated and for all hands to prepare for Ron's arrival. Many were afraid of facing Ron because of his newfound powers. But they had been in Iceland for some time and knew this area, and Stoppable did not. Drakken reminded them of that. "If he doesn't see you coming, he won't be ready."

A number of henchmen were ordered to remain within and around the lair so as to monitor the security of the facility. The rest were dispatched to the surface to bar Stoppable's approach.

* * *

It had been a safe trip for Ron and Rufus up until the jet appeared on Drakken's radar. Some distance back Ron instructed his jet to go submarine mode - a modification made at his request by James Possible and the space center - so that approach on Iceland would go with as little incident as possible. During that time, Ron again rested, trained, and ate, finishing the rest of the Bueno Nacho.

When the pilot announced the jet's remaining distance from the Icelandic coast, Ron decided it was time to go airborne again, despite the pilot's advisory that if Ron's arrival is being monitored the jet would be picked up on radar. After having transformed back into a jet and resurfacing, his arrival turned quite exciting.

Not long after being in the air a disturbing feeling came over Ron, one that told him of imminent danger. Not even five seconds after this feeling hit him an alarm sounded. The pilot reported inbound missiles.

With Rufus scurrying behind him, Ron rushed to the cockpit crying, "Well then, dodge them!"

"I am sorry, Mr. Stoppable, but I am not programmed for evasive maneuvers." There was but a brief pause before the pilot added, "Ten seconds to impact."

Feeling his monkey powers taking over, Ron tried a new tactic. "Power down autopilot!"

Not waiting for a single indication that the pilot was now inactive, Ron quickly shoved the robot aside and grabbed the yoke. Relying on the intuition given to him by his powers, with only two seconds left before his jet was blown up he successfully maneuvered beneath the line of missiles. Some of them hit each other, but not the jet.

Ron felt relieved for only a moment, for his bad feeling did not leave him even though there was no visible danger as he proceeded towards land. It could only mean there was more danger on the way.

And so it was as an inexplicable fog developed, shrouding the land ahead and the ocean below. It was all around him. And then there was a change in weather as excessive winds and rain made difficult his piloting. Still his confidence did not waver as he continued flying. His powers triggered the right instincts that drove his steering and change in altitude and speed.

Then his feelings of danger increased, feelings that warned him that he must prepare to bail out from the jet. Ron took Rufus and hurried him into his pocket. A moment later the alarm sounded again. Even though he could not see anything out there, the alarm could only mean that more missiles were on their way. This was not yet the time to eject, but he felt that he would have to before the jet came out of the fog. And he knew when that time came he would be over land.

His monkey powers kicked in. Ron relied on them to help him maneuver safely through. Because there were many more than the last time, some of the missiles came close to impact, but he was still alive.

A little further and he was over land. Here only the fog remained, the force of the typhoon out at sea. The feeling of a new threat told him he must eject immediately. Ensuring he was fully strapped in, Ron pulled the switch and launched from the cockpit through the underside of the jet. As distance increased between him and the aircraft and he continued his descent he soon heard an explosion. The jet had been destroyed.

Safely on the ground, Ron disengaged himself from the ejection seat. He pulled out Rufus to ensure his little friend was unhurt. The mole rat signaled he felt just fine, except for the cold. Putting Rufus back inside his pocket to keep as warm as possible, Ron began walking, letting his monkey powers lead him through the fog and into visibility. Additionally by his powers he felt no present threat, so he relaxed a little and continued walking.

He had been walking for only a short time when his Kimmunicator sounded off. He stopped to answer. "Go Wade." It was the first time since Kuala Lumpur that he spoke with Wade.

"Glad to see it's true," Wade said after sighing in relief.

"What is?"

"Drakken recently played footage of your jet being shot down. We all thought you were still aboard, but leave it to Shego to spoil his enjoyment. She pointed out that the underside of your jet indicated you ejected, and his broadcast rolled on. So we all were able to hear that you supposedly bailed out. It seems Drakken used the Sonic Annihilator to shoot the jet down."

"And likely the Mega-weather Generator to bring in the fog and storm," Ron added. Wade concurred. "Hey Wade, can you tell me where about I am?"

Wade triangulated Ron's location by means of his Kimmunicator, and realized for the first time that Ron was in Iceland. "You're heading east towards the port town of Hafnarfjörður," he said, pronouncing Hafnarfjörður with difficulty. "Do you know where you're going? I can inform Global Justice."

"No, don't call GJ," Ron objected. "I'll finish this. And yes, I do know where I'm going. I won't say it, though, in case Drakken just happens to have some anonymous henchmen around who might be watching or listening."

After a while he reached the port town. Ron and Wade chatted for a spell during his walk, but nothing was spoken of about Ron's miraculously improving abilities. He would tell all after this was over. Before ending the communication Ron asked Wade to let his family know that he was alright. Wade assured him he would.

Ron continued walking, intending to just pass through Hafnarfjörður. Then a taxicab happened alongside of him. Rolling down his window, the driver called out to him. "Hey, aren't you Ron Stoppable of Team Possible?" he asked with an Icelandic accent.

Ron looked at him and stopped, as did the cab. "Yes, I am."

"I've been hearing of your adventures in finding Kim Possible. What brings you to Iceland?"

"The end of my mission. She's here, somewhere that way." Ron pointed east, beyond the town.

The driver looked out towards the direction Ron pointed. "I'd be happy to give you a ride," he then offered.

Ron shook his head. "I couldn't accept it," he said, politely. "Kim and I haven't done anything here to earn a favor, and I don't have any money for cab fare."

"Not to worry," the driver assured him. "You're part of Team Possible and looking for Kim Possible. No matter how far you're going, if it's a ride you need, you have one, on any one of us."

Ron considered the offer for a moment, knowing that if he had to walk to get to Kim, he would. Rufus peeked out from his pocket and gibbered that it was a good idea. Knowing that he would have a chance to get warm for a while Ron accepted the driver's ride.

The driver followed Ron's directions. Cab chatter included the driver talking a little about his life and a number of things he knew about Iceland. Ron talked some about himself and his missions with Kim. When asked by the driver about how his sudden new skills, Ron's answer came out a little amusing. "I guess you could say it just... suddenly hit me."

The cab was now on a paved road, well outside of Hafnarfjörður, driving through a snowy forest. It continued for some distance until a sensation came over Ron, who then told the driver to stop. Getting out he looked at one side of the forest where this sensation felt very strong. He knew it to be his bond with Kim. Ron told the driver that he would go on alone from here, and he thanked him for the ride. "And remember," Ron added. "Team Possible owes you or your town a favor, even if it's a cat stuck in a tree."

The driver thanked him and left. Ron turned back to the forest and started walking.

Ron avoided the ground as often as he could, suspecting that if any motion sensors that could trigger weapons were set up out here they would be monitoring the ground. If trees were close enough, he leapt from limb to limb.

Before long he came upon his first group of henchmen, armed with their usual stun batons. They charged him and were quickly disarmed, despite their earlier training. He did not have to use one mystical monkey technique. Even Rufus took on a few, scurrying all over several of them and forcing them to lose focus so that Ron could beat them. This continued for some time as did Ron's journey. He fought them in increasing numbers and varying skill levels as he drew closer to the lair. That more of them challenged him meant he was going in the right direction.

Soon he discovered a cave. Somewhere inside is Kim, he knew, so he headed towards it. Suddenly, from the entrance came scores of henchmen, surrounding Ron and barring his way into the cave.

He looked around at them all, but felt no apprehension. Ron knew he could be overwhelmed by them. If a few took him on at once, from another direction they could attack and bring him down. But there was one technique he had yet to try, and this seemed the ideal time to use it. After a wink at them and a quick smile, he spread his feet, stretched one arm out horizontally and curved the other, bending it at the elbow and above his head.

To the amazement of each and every henchman there, Ron vanished, having executed the "Be Quick, Be Silent" technique. Many of them rubbed their eyes trying to undo the illusion, but to no avail. He was still invisible.

"Since when can he do that?" some of them asked.

Now his battle was underway. Ron supposed that beating them all would just be wasting time, but he considered it better that he disable them now so they don't follow him once he went inside the cave.

* * *

He can fool the human eye, but he cannot fool technology. Video captured Ron striking his strange pose and all the henchmen suddenly looking all around as if he disappeared. Drakken watched Ron pick off a set of henchmen who apparently saw nothing coming at them and the rest suddenly stunned at the sight of their comrades' dropping.

"What is with you guys?!" Drakken angrily shouted at those onscreen, even though they were not equipped to hear him. "He's right there!"

With him, Shego watched as Ron brought down the few that remained outside the cave before entering it. Then they saw him come back out a couple of minutes later, take hold of one of the beaten, but conscious, henchmen to talk to him, and then proceed to stand the man up, bringing the man with him back inside the cave.

After a few angry huffs he turned to her. "Go. Take him down."

She suspected it would come to this. "Are you crazy?" she cried. "Have you not been paying attention to the things he's suddenly capable of?! I can't beat that!"

Drakken did not flinch at her distress. "Of course I've been paying attention! And you have powers, too!"

"Not like his!"

An idea came to him. "Shego, what are good guys best known for doing?" he calmly asked.

She looked at him for a moment, unsure why he would ask that. She gave an answer, anyway. "Winning."

Drakken smiled and shook his head. "No. They are known for keeping their promises. Make him promise not to use his powers and you'll have the advantage. You fight with Kim Possible all the time and she has no powers."

There was sense in Drakken's idea. After all, Stoppable's victories have all seemed to come at moments when never before seen skills were used. There could be no way he was better than her without them. "Fine."

He smiled again and gave a nod. "Very good." She turned and left.

Deciding that he wanted the world to see this he made a sidekick versus sidekick showdown announcement. When that was done he added to himself, "But just in case..." With him he took several other henchmen. But before he completely vacated the room, to those remaining in the watch center he added, "Should she fail, report it to me."

* * *

The tram was now stopped at the end of the tunnel and the henchman Ron took was still with him. Since Ron did not know how to operate the tram he needed someone who did.

Before going inside the lair, Ron pulled out his Kimmunicator. He decided to call Wade and tell him that it was okay to send Global Justice, believing he would have this mission completed before they arrived. Wade pinpointed Ron's location and said they were on the way.

Needing the henchman to open the door, Ron headed towards the lair, keeping his captive in front. He complimented on the lair's look, but the henchman said nothing in reply. Both of them heard a heavy click and a deep grinding sound up ahead. They looked and realized that the main door was opening. Once it was up high enough they could see one person standing in the entrance... Shego.

The henchman grinned and turned his head a little look at Ron from the corner of his eye. "Oh, you are in trouble now, Buddy." His smile vanished and he looked at Shego surprised when she told him to 'shut it.'

"It's gonna be you and me, Stoppable," she then said to Ron. "Let him go."

"Fine by me." To the henchman he said, "Get lost."

The henchman took off, passing Shego, intending to thank her. But she told him again to 'shut it' and to report to Drakken.

It was now just the two of them. Shego stepped outside, but remained close to the entrance. Ron approached her, but then stopped a few meters away when she held out a hand, palm outward. "Hold it right there a moment."

Ron complied with her 'order.' "What do you want?" he spat.

"Before we do this, I want your word that you'll fight without your powers." She received a contemptuous look from him, but ignored it. "Your girlfriend doesn't have powers and she's beaten me several times. Think you're good enough to fight me without yours?"

Ron thought for only a moment. "Alright," he then said. "I won't use them."

Satisfied that he agreed, Shego then approached him before taking her fighting stance. "You swear you won't use your powers?"

Taking his own fighting stance, he replied, "Good guys keep their word, Shego. I won't use them." He then told Rufus to keep back. The mole rat crawled from his pocket and stayed out of the way.

Before their fight even began, Drakken's cameras had for some time been hovering above, capturing Shego's demand and Ron's oath.

There was give and take as attacks were made, and Ron proved better than Shego expected he would. Still, he stayed true to his word and did not use his powers, only his martial arts form. Shego had even refrained from using her own powers at first. But as he had yet to fall in this skirmish she decided it was time to step up her abilities, and so she summoned her plasma energy.

It had proved to be a good strategy. Her energy was presently intense enough to serve only as a means to strike and knock him down, and that had worked a few times despite several others when he successfully avoided her attacks. She occasionally struck him whenever he fought at close range, and even when he stood at a distance by sending a flurry of energy attacks at him. But she was not invincible. Several times he struck her when he could get close enough. As it was, his latest kick to her upper chest was intense enough to knock her off her feet.

Ron remained where he was, waiting to see if she would get up. If she did not after several seconds lying there, he would attend to her and ensure she was okay.

As it was, she was worse off. This showed after she stood back up. Shego was furious, having that look on her that expressed, "How dare he strike a lady?" Raising up her arms and bringing her hands close together, Shego energized a new plasma ball. It grew large, quickly. No matter what he tried, there was no way this attack would miss. Stoppable had promised he would not use his powers to fight back, so she suspected he would try dodging this by leaping away or running. But she knew something no one did. She had control of her energy; she could steer it. So no matter what he tried, no matter how far he may get, Shego knew she could hit him.

It was ready and Shego let it fly. It flew fast. Ron was ready to leap out of its path, but Shego made sure it hit him. And it hit him good, bursting on impact and sending him flying a short distance before he dropped to the ground. Evil though she was, Shego had no intention of killing him. She only wanted to defeat him. Satisfied that she had, Shego decided to head back towards the lair, after which she would send some of the henchmen out to take Stoppable to a cell. On her return, she took note for the first time that the distance was further than she remembered, and realized they had managed to fight away from the lair.

Less than ten meters from the entrance, she was halted at the cry of, "Shego!" which actually startled her. She whipped around to find that Stoppable was on his feet again. He stood, feet firmly planted and fists balled at his sides. She noticed his expression, his "serious face," and yet he seemed to be keeping any anger in check. Not even this intimidated her, but to see him like that impressed her. He was ready for more.

Ron _was_ actually ready to end this fight. It was time to stop piddling around and get Kim out of here. He took a step forward; another and another, closing the distance between him and Shego. She powered up another plasma bolt and fired it at him. He held out a hand, letting it burst at his palm. Shego fired more, some of which he blocked and others he merely swatted out of his way. When there were but a few steps between him and her, he quickened his pace and rushed at her. Simultaneously both of their hands reached out and gripped each other, putting themselves in a hand-lock position. Both pushed forward, neither gave way.

Behind her grimace Shego was puzzled. If there was one other thing she knew about her powers it was that, depending on the energy's intensity, it could be used, as it had before, to assail people. But at this point her energy was driven to a level that it could burn. Yet Stoppable showed no signs that he was in agony.

"Doesn't that burn?" she asked.

"I'm not feeling a thing right now, Shego," was all Ron said.

Shego could see that he seriously was feeling nothing. But she refused to give in and continued to resist him as he did her.

Ron did not want this to continue any longer. His initial thought to win was to summon some monkey power and end it, but he promised he would not. He suddenly became aware of his proximity to her. An idea came to him as he realized just how face-to-face they actually were. To do this, though, might make Kim angry if there was some chance she was watching him fight. He decided it had to be done.

_"Win now, apologize later,"_ he said to himself. So he let up some on his resistance, Shego was unprepared, and suddenly they were kissing.

Wide-eyed Shego, more shocked than anything else, quickly broke the kiss. But she had no chance to react further as Ron swatted her hands away and, grabbing an arm, flipped her over his shoulder which knocked her breath from her lungs.

Picking Shego up, Ron carried her to the tram and took her inside where he found some restraints and placed them on her. Before leaving her for the lair he said to her, "Take it easy, Shego." Then getting Rufus back, Ron proceeded inside the lair.

Alone now, but feeling a little better physically after her defeat, Shego thought about how she had lost. She lost to a kiss, and could not help but think of how embarrassing it was... and how nice, though brief, it actually felt. _"Kimmie's quite a lucky girl,"_ Shego admitted, smiling.

* * *

Her cell was open and she was surrounded by several armed henchmen. When they entered she fought them of the best she could, but they succeeded in restraining her.

Then in walked Drakken, with a familiar looking bottle in hand. "Miss Possible. Your hair looks like it could use a good washing."

* * *

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	8. Tiff and Make Up

* * *

Chapter 8 – Tiff and Make Up

* * *

The message that Shego was defeated and that Stoppable was now inside the lair reached Drakken.

Still hopeful that he could win this, he was ready to confront Stoppable using his newest "weapon," as well as a new tactic, one that just up and came to him. While he was bringing her under his control Drakken remembered something about the boy, something he actually mentioned when this challenge began. If he confronted him also using that, Drakken determined that perhaps he could employ Stoppable.

He said to Kim Possible, who was back in her battle suit, "Let's go."

She followed her "master."

* * *

Ron wandered several empty passageways of the lair, encountering not one henchman since his entrance. This was to be expected since the bulk of them were still up on the surface somewhere, out of commission. At the end of one passage was a door. He approached it. The door looked nothing out of the ordinary, having nothing that might require special access like voice recognition or a retinal scanner. There was just a button.

The door casually slid to one side after he pressed the button. Ron looked about the space within. It was dimly lit, but he could easily see the wall-mounted monitors and monitoring systems. Manning many of those systems were more henchmen.

Ron heard one of them, a man with a deep voice, say, "Bob, Stoppable's at the door!"

Hearing this, the heads of all henchmen turned to find their associate was right. Some fled while the rest remained either standing in place or seated.

Ron had no desire to fight them. He came here for Kim, and the less time he wasted, the sooner he would find her. "Unless one of you guys tells me where I can find Kim, I'm ready to play rough." He did not want to fight, but he had to get someone to talk. "I'll behave if one of you takes me to her."

One of them stepped forward. "I'll take you. Just let us be."

With a single nod, Ron replied, "Done."

As Ron followed the henchman from the watch center, the one with the deep-voice said, "Be careful, Bob."

Bob led the way, neither he nor Ron saying a word to one another. The route by which he led the boy brought them to a door. He opened it and entered first into a grand room, a space so magnificently designed it could be a ballroom. Bob intended to lead Ron on, but was halted by the presence of his boss standing at the far end.

Ron also noticed Drakken. Rufus poked his head out from his pocket and snarled at the man. He also caught sight of more cameras hovering all around and wondered if this meant Drakken was planning another challenge against him. Ron could think of no new opponents skilled enough to try.

Drakken stood with his hands behind his back. "Thank you for bringing him to me," he said to Bob, his voice echoing around the empty room. "You may go, now."

Bob stood for but a moment before even Ron spoke up. "You heard him, Bob. Get lost." Bob left, backing out the way he came.

It was now just Ron and Drakken. Ron started walking forward. "Have you decided to lead me to Kim?" His tone was steady.

"No, I want to speak with you first." Drakken held out a hand in a halting gesture. "Stop right there."

Ron slowed to a halt, and then crossed his arms. "What?" he asked with some impatience. Yet, he decided he would listen.

"You have become such a thorn in my side as of late, what with your superpowers and all," Drakken began, saying the word 'superpowers' sourly. "And you have even bested Shego. I heard that you defeated her without even using them. I must admit that I've actually become quite impressed with your powers. I could use them. Why not join me?"

Ron gave Drakken a questioning look before responding, "Fat chance of that happening."

"Now just hear me out," Drakken said with some insistence. "Of all your buffoonery, you actually have a great knack for evil. The Attitudinator proved that. Become Zorpox again, and with his genius and your newfound skills we can rule the world together."

Drakken pulled out a plastic-encased disk from his lab coat. "With the schematics of the Sonic Annihilator and the Mega-weather Generator on this disk, we can produce even more of them as well as other fantastic doomsday weapons with which we will bring the world to its knees." He smiled gleefully from the sound of his vision.

While Ron never remembered what he was like as Zorpox, from what Wade and Kim told him Ron knew all too well just how dangerous his darker half is. "Drakken, I did not come all this way in search of Kim to wind up working for you. And letting Zorpox out of me would be a big mistake on your part, mine if I agreed to let him out. He would totally own you and eventually get rid of you."

Disappointed, Drakken frowned at Ron's refusal. He could see there was no other choice but to eliminate Stoppable.

"Now are you going to tell me where Kim is?" Ron demanded.

"Right behind you, Ron."

At the sound of that voice, Ron whipped around to see Kim, too thrilled to be baffled by her sudden and inexplicable appearance; too thrilled to take notice of her wet and disheveled hair… and was then met with a rapid roundhouse kick to the face that sent him to the floor. Rufus, who had still been partially outside his haven, was thrown from Ron's pocket.

Completely expressionless, Kim looked down at him. "You should have taken Drakken's offer to join him, Ron." Her battle suit, which its illuminable bands were off, which was so her presence would remain unknown to Ron, powered on.

Ron barely had a chance to stand back up before Kim struck him again. Following a couple of cartwheel rotations and a handspring, Kim planted her feet against his chest, knocking him backwards several feet away. Only briefly was he stunned, but he definitely hurt.

* * *

People around the world were also stunned. No one could understand why Kim attacked Ron like that. As far as anyone believed, she was free from wherever she was being held. So, they all wondered why she would start a fight with Ron, someone who searched the world for her, when she should be apprehending Drakken.

As even the Possibles wondered this, brain surgeon Mrs. Dr. P suggested that Drakken might actually have some sort of mind control over Kim.

"KP," they heard Ron say. He was finally standing up again, unsteadily, after a couple of minutes of lying on the floor. Kim had not moved since her second attack. "Why are you doing this? If this is about me kissing Shego, I can explain."

The Possibles remember watching Ron do that. Jim and Tim "Hoosha-ed" and high-fived. It came as a surprise to the Possibles, but they supposed he had a good reason… James Possible at least hoped he did. They heard Drakken laugh, amused.

"For your information, Buffoon, she never even saw your fight with Shego. On the other hand, the world did, as well as your kiss. Oh, I can just see the media now," he added with a snicker. "It's even gonna be the most hit-on footage on the internet."

"And don't bother trying to dissuade Miss Possible from fighting you," Drakken continued, professionally, "because she won't listen!" He pulled out the familiar bottle of _Lather, Rinse, and OBEY_. "Remember this?"

The next thing the Possibles saw, Drakken unexpectedly became fidgety. He began babbling and patting all about his person, yet touching nothing but his blue lab coat. He would even laugh as though he was being tickled. They saw a little lump moving about beneath Drakken's lab coat, but he was not quick enough to grab at whatever was crawling all over him.

They realized it was Rufus when he popped out from Drakken's coat. In his little mole rat hands he held the very disk Drakken had before displayed to the world, and then pocketed when Kim's fight with Ron began. Before Drakken could react, Rufus leapt from the coat and skedaddled from the large room.

Drakken chased after Rufus, his last words before disappearing from the doorway being, "Kim Possible, destroy Ron Stoppable!" and "Come back here with that you little rodent!"

* * *

Ron watched as Drakken took off after Rufus, grateful his little buddy was able to get the disk. He felt fortunate to have ended up near Rufus after Kim belted him like that. Following the painful kick and landing, he slowly regained his bearings and realized Rufus was there ensuring he was alright. Quietly he told Rufus to go and get the disk from Drakken. Acknowledging he understood, Rufus took off. Now, ignoring the cameras, Ron was left alone with Kim.

Kim had her orders. She had not moved while Drakken spoke to Ron about kissing Shego and then showed him the shampoo, but she was ready to go the instant Drakken told her to finish Ron. Taking a fighting stance with her battle suit powered on she said with a dreadful grin, "Are you ready, Ron?"

Ron did not want to fight her. He remained defenseless. "KP, don't do this."

"I have my orders." With that she leapt in and began to fight him.

"I don't want to fight you, Kim." He made no attempt to strike her, but he did put up his defenses to block her hits. "I want to end this mission and take you home." Despite his efforts to protect himself or avoid her attacks, every now and then he would suffer a hit.

Kim was relentless and her assaults intensified. Equally, Ron stepped up his means of defense, still taking a hit now and then. But as with any battle, fighting instincts came along and Ron automatically retaliated, unintentionally thrusting an open palm just above her chest. Kim's balance was shaken and she stumbled backwards.

* * *

Rufus' mobility was difficult with the 'oversized' item in his hands. Still, he remained ahead of Drakken and slipped inside a storeroom.

Drakken followed the mole rat into the storeroom. He was not too happy that he would have many tight spaces to search, but he ensured the mole rat would not get out by closing the storeroom door and locking it. There was no other way out than the door. Even the ventilation shafts were screened off which left the mole rat confined to this room.

* * *

Ron gasped at what he had just done, his attack having sent Kim to the floor. Frantically he began to apologize. He even dropped his guard and rushed to Kim to see how badly hurt she might be. But Kim was quick to recover before Ron could lay a hand on her. Back on her feet she massaged the spot Ron hit and looked at him, smiling wickedly; this brainwashed Kim now felt certain that Ron was ready to fight her for real.

Despite being hypnotized, Kim still knew of Ron's Mystical Monkey Powers. She was eager to take him on, to have him use them against her. She could win. How could she not? She, Kim Possible, can do anything, so why not add conquering the Mystical Monkey Master to her list of accomplishments?

Kim took a leap backwards. "Ron," Kim said, resuming a fighting stance. "Show me your Mystical Monkey Power."

"KP," Ron begged, "please don't make me fight you."

A slightly audible hum accompanied an increase in the luminosity of the battle suit's blue bands. Kim rushed at Ron, repeating, "Show me your power!" In a flash she was on him and repeatedly striking at him.

Once again, Ron did as best as he could to defend himself against her attacks, but he was unable to avoid them all. She was much faster this time thanks to the enhanced speed from the battle suit. Ron realized he really had no choice but to strike back, but only enough to get Kim to stop, and then figure out how to get her back to her normal self.

He blocked and avoided a couple of her latest attempts to hit and kick him and countered using a couple of his own strikes. Kim backed off a few steps to recover from the hits. Ron took this opportunity to repeat a Tai Xing Peq U'ar technique. Again he took the "Be Quick, Be Silent" stance. He hoped being invisible to Kim might buy him a little time to figure out how to get her back. But something was wrong. Kim was looking right at him. She was not fooled by his attempts to disappear.

An internal message from Sensei told him how that could be. Her already hypnotized mind cannot be fooled by an illusion.

Before Kim charged in again, ready to go at him with all her battle suit's advantages, Ron summoned his Mystical Monkey Power.

* * *

"Curse that boy and his little rodent!" grumbled Drakken. He still had not located Rufus or the disk. Though the mole rat could not leave the room that did not mean it could not still evade Drakken in the countless small spaces available for it to hide in. He realized, also, that he had long been away from the confrontation between Kim and Ron. Drakken radioed back to the watch center and demanded an update on the fight.

The henchman reporting sounded awed while he updated Drakken on the status of the fight. Not only had Kim Possible begun moving faster than he could believe, but Stoppable was countering most attacks she was dealing out, reluctantly using punches and kicks of his own, covered in that same blue glow that helped him battle the Bebes back at the Petronas Towers. He also reported that Kim kept Ron at bay with a bubble shield from time to time.

There was a moment that Drakken felt an unexpected tremor. He feared that someone might have tampered with the Sonic Annihilator. Asking if someone had, the henchman reported, his tone raised in amazement, that it was Kim. She had somehow managed to use the battle suit to generate a quake centered there in the room where she was fighting Ron. Stoppable, however, kept clear of the devastation and continued fighting her.

In his opinion, Drakken felt that Kim Possible was not making good enough progress in defeating her boyfriend. "Sixteen styles of kung fu… styles taught by her nana... an uber battle suit… Yet she still can't bring down the buffoon?!" he vented in frustration. This in no way improved his mood as he still had not located the mole rat.

* * *

Both Kim and Ron were beginning to tire. Ron held up well, considering all his abilities were drawn from within, whereas Kim managed to endure due to the advantages of her battle suit. And so to end this fight she drew upon one advantage she had not yet used against Ron. She went invisible.

Ron's means of invisibility could only fool a nemesis into believing that he had vanished, but Kim's suit was capable of bending light. That could render her invisible to just about everything, including things that cannot be fooled by illusions.

Ron could not let her win despite this advantage. He decided that he must do again what he did fighting Gemini's agents. Only this time he closed his eyes, not wasting time to make a blindfold. He realized that Kim would likely also use the suit's super speed. His awareness now enhanced, Ron had a good idea where Kim stood, but he dared not turn his head her way and risk her changing to an attack he could not defend against quickly enough.

Kim charged, rapidly, but was surprised to discover that her attack was blocked. She tried again, using combinations. Inexplicably Ron was able to block these as though he knew her moves. A few times she backed off, but charged in and tried again.

Combined with the blue field he was generating, his heightened awareness so as to know Kim's location and moves, and his ability to keep up with her, Ron was beginning to feel an unusual surge of energy. Once he made contact with her using a counter attack, the battle suit's invisibility was disengaged, restoring Kim to visibility with an expression of stunned surprise.

Immediately Ron approached her. His arms moved about, fluidly, as she just stood there unable to comprehend how he had managed to strike her as he did and disable the battle suit. "KP…" Ron cried as his arms slowed to a halt. His index and middle fingers on both fists were pointed out and tightly side by side. The energy building inside him travelled to those fingers. "Snap out of it!" Ron's fingertips connected with Kim's temples.*

A strange sensation surged through Kim's brain, and the fog of mind control lifted. She became newly aware that Ron stood before her, his hands at the sides of her head. "Ron?" Her eyes went wide and she gasped, crying out, "Ron!" again as she embraced him, overjoyed to see him again.

Glad that she was herself again, Ron smiled and returned the hug.

After a few minutes, Kim relaxed and stepped back to look at him again. She realized how beat up he looked. "Ron, what happened?!"

Realizing that she must not remember her actions because of the mind-controlling shampoo he told her, reluctantly. "Uh… you happened," he replied shyly.

"What?! No, I-I…" Kim suddenly went into a self-bashing rant, chastising herself for being captured and used by Drakken, and for attacking Ron.

After an exhaustive few minutes of trying to calm Kim down and telling her everything would be alright, Ron then told her that they had to find Rufus. Leaving the ballroom via the same door Drakken took to chase after Rufus, they hurried along the hallway, keeping alert of any sort of ruckus from either Drakken or Rufus. Their alertness was rewarded by the audible mumblings of a disgruntled Drakken.

Kim asked Ron for his Kimmunicator. Kim contacted Wade who began rambling about the fight that just happened. He even wondered what might have become of them after saying that the cameras stopped working after she and Ron ran from the room. She hushed him and asked him to override the locking mechanism that sealed the door. Following a click, she pulled the door open.

* * *

The unmistakable sound of the storeroom's door being unlocked disrupted Drakken's ongoing search for the mole rat. Peeking from around a shelf he spotted an unwelcomed sight. There stood his teen nemesis with her boyfriend. She appeared no longer under control of the shampoo, and he bet the boy had something do with that. He then wondered why he was not alerted by his henchmen that these two had been looking for him and likely the mole rat.

Said critter suddenly appeared at Drakken's feet, having come from nowhere and hurrying on towards Team Possible, taking with it the disk.

"Rufus!" Ron excitedly cried as the junior member of the team ran to him. He picked Rufus up saying, "Good job," before taking the disk. "Now there's only one thing left to do."

"Right," Kim said. "Come out, Drakken! It's over!"

"Actually, KP, I was referring to this," Ron said, indicating the disk. He removed it from its plastic casing and broke it. "Now, let's get Drakken."

He and Kim searched the room. It was Kim who found Drakken and brought him out.

"This is not over, Kim Possible," the evil genius grumbled.

Kim sighed. "Like we haven't heard that one before, right Ron?" She then gave Drakken a light shove signaling him to get moving, and then they were out in the passageway where they discovered his henchmen all walking away.

"Guys, do something!" Drakken commanded them. "Help me!"

"Sorry, Boss," one of them said. "Not this time."

Another, the one Ron was sure was Bob, added, "Right. After seeing that kid take down most of us and then Shego… You're on your own."

They all continued on after the deep-voiced henchman said, "Way to go, Bob."

Deciding to ignore the departing henchmen Team Possible went on in search for an exit. But something occurred to Ron and he realized Drakken was right. It was not over. He stopped before saying, "KP, wait."

She also stopped which prompted her prisoner to do the same. "What is it, Ron?" she asked.

"We have to destroy the Sonic Annihilator and the Mega-weather Generator. We shouldn't let anyone discover how they work and build others." He walked around to face Drakken. "Where are they?"

"You want them, go find them yourself," Drakken replied indignantly.

Ron eyed him for a moment before an idea came to him. "Actually, that won't be necessary." Summoning up some Mystical Monkey energy, Ron then lightly struck one side of Drakken's jaw with one set of index and middle fingertips at the same time he tapped the villain's forehead with the other set. "Now you'll tell us."*

Drakken was startled by the indescribable sensation he felt in both places. Finding himself incapable of remaining silent, no matter how much he tried to hold back, he divulged the location of the doomsday weapons.

As they started for the location Kim asked Ron, "How did you do that?"

"You remember how he used a truth ray on us once? Well, I basically shut down _his_ inhibitors and 'forced' his mouth to work."

It seemed a reasonable answer, but she was curious still. "How did you know how to do that?"

"Um…" Ron could not come up with an answer, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky guess?"

There they were, Zorpox's very own designs – the rebuilt Mega-weather Generator and the much improved over Drakken's Cocoa-Moo maker, the Sonic Annihilator. It was agreed that rather than blowing them up, the machines should be melted down from the inside out. This was so that no one would know how even the smallest component made them work. Through the Kimmunicator, Wade uploaded the most advanced meltdown program, designed by the boy genius himself.

* * *

Global Justice Agent Will Du was in charge of apprehending all of Drakken's henchmen. He and his fellow agents gathered up all who were above ground before descending into the cavern where they also located Shego. Following that, Will led his agents inside the lair where they soon encountered Team Possible bringing Dr. Drakken with them. He decided to take charge of Drakken's arrest.

With the evil genius being led away Will then offered congratulations to Ron. "Job well done, Mr. Stoppable. Global Justice salutes you." Ron dismissed it saying it was nothing.

Before letting them go Will asked them to turn over the disk and to tell him where he could find the doomsday weapons. Under orders from Dr. Director he was to recover these as a matter of Global Security. It was unsettling news to hear that the disk was destroyed.

"And as for the doomsday weapons," Kim began, but was interrupted by a very unpleasant odor of melting metal and burning components which everyone could smell. "Just follow your nose."

By that, Agent Du suspected the machines were destroyed. This news, too, would not please the head of Global Justice.

On their way out of the lair Kim asked Ron how he came to acquire his powers. He told her and her alone everything. He also made sure to tell her of the favor they owed to the citizens of Hafnarfjörður because of the cab ride he was given.

For Kim, it felt great to be outside for the first time in days. All about them there were agents moving to and fro with Drakken's henchmen in their custody. Shortly following Team Possible's exit, out came a few agents bringing the remaining henchmen, plus Shego and Drakken.

Drakken gave them a vengeful look. "You think you're all that, Kim Possible, but you're not!"

As he was led away, Kim responded, "Maybe not, Drakken, but Ron Stoppable is."

He rolled his eyes. "Eh, the jury's still out on that one."

As Shego was led past them, she put in a few words of her own. "That's some boyfriend you got there, Kimmie. He's a great kisser, isn't he?" Shego smiled at the teen heroine's shocked expression. She would remember that look for a long time.

Kim demanded to know from Ron what that was all about. After seeing the way he squirmed and nervously explained and apologized, she let it go. It was time to catch a ride back to Middleton. She was about to ask a Global Justice agent give them a lift to an airport when Ron told her not to bother.

"I've got that part covered," he said. Taking her hand, Ron closed his eyes and thought of Middleton. In a flash he and Kim were gone.*

All there to witness the vanishing, both the good and the bad, stared at the vacant spot were Team Possible had just been. **"Since when can he do **_**that**_**?!"** they all cried.

* * *

In the days following their return, some things returned to normal for Team Possible, once they were caught up with their schoolwork. Ron, in spite of his newfound abilities, seemed to slowly fall back into his essential Ronness and childlike wonder. His dates with Kim resumed, their first date since the end of the mission started at Bueno Nacho. And as for Kim, she was happy to be back on the cheerleading team. There was, however, the issue of Ron kissing Shego. Drakken was right about that footage being broadcasted on the news and the internet. Kim took jibes about it from day to day while Ron was commended for the bold move, but eventually they were let be.

Among the things that did change, bullies kept their distance from Ron. They repeatedly apologized to him and begged him not to hurt them. He simply gave them a thumbs-up and told them not to sweat it. Then there were the girls. They hounded him, as he was looked at as a new man, a gesture he would have enjoyed over a year ago, but no feminine charms could take him from Kim. For her it was quite a task to keep them away from what was hers. Eventually the girls gave up, much to the relief of the couple.

En route to history class one day, a call came in from Wade. The mission was in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland. Apparently there was a cat stuck in a tree.

_End._

* * *

A/N: The first two places where you see the * are in reference to the anime series "Hokuto no Ken," aka "Fist of the North Star." And the third *, if you're unsure about the last thing Ron did when he and Kim disappeared from Iceland, that is Goku's "Instant Transmission" technique from Dragonball Z.

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